Ironies of Life
by Hanamaki
Summary: He took a gamble. To save himself and his container, time had to be rewritten. (Time-travel Fanfiction!) Fem. Naru x Kakashi
1. Chapter 1

**NOTICE: I have been rewriting this story, because honestly it was a hot mess that needed to be fixed. I've changed ages and some other important details, but if you have already read the story I suggest re-reading.**

 **Ironies of Life**

By: HanaMaki

 **Prologue: Ticking Tocks**

 _Time doesn't heal anything... It just teaches us how to live with the pain._

* * *

Time...

Everything has a start and finish.

A beginning and an end.

 _His_ end...

 _Her_ end...

 _Their_ end...

Yet, they weren't alone. For pain was always a bitter companion.

The eerie howl, which escaped their lips, could never reflect the sheer, excruciating pain they were suffering.

It was all those bastards fault.

Those damned Uchiha.

The peptual bane of his existence. They had been the catalyst of their end.

The founder, the puppet, the martyr, and the avenger. Every single one had played their part in this Armageddon. Their fated script complete.

 _ **'It won't end like this. I won't allow it!'**_

The Bijuu were said to be creatures of unknown power and abilities. He knew that the only chance they had to defeat their enemy was to beat them at their own game. It was time to vanquish the ones who believed themselves gods.

He called his brothers and sisters out from the darkness which surrounded them; drowning them in the never ending depth. Together they would survive, just as they had from the beginning when Father had first created them. Their time had not yet come.

 _ **"Lend me your strength. Help me undo this!"**_ A deep, masculine voice pleaded out from the emptiness as he started to weave his power.

Just as he feared that they were all too far gone, he heard an answering cry.

 _ **"This is crazy! Father has warned us against using that!"**_ The voice responded in shock.

 _ **"We have no choice left! Do you believe Father would have wanted us to do nothing when the world he created started to destroy itself!?"**_

Silence met his words. They could all hear the desperation.

 _ **"No, I think not. Will you help me prevent this end?"**_

For what other choice did they have?

 **"Yes..."**

* * *

The orchestrator of the end watched as the final piece of his plan began to fall into place.

The remaining obstacle had finally been dealt with. Her end would be the beginning of his success. All he had to do was wait as the Bijuu were extracted from within the seal placed on her.

Such a foolish girl.

Did she truly believe that she could withstand containing that much chakra? Uzumaki or not, no human could sustain the sheer amount of chakra from holding all nine Bijuu.

He watched her pale whiskered face contort in pain from inside the cave he captured her in.

It was ironic really.

She was born in a cave filled of misery and death, and she would die in one as well.

A twisted laugh escaped him.

It sounded deranged even to himself. Time certainly changed people.

However, just as he began to rejoice in his victory, an explosion of volatile chakra rocked the cavern. The earth trembled tempestuously, unable to withstand the pressure.

He forced his own chakra to keep him standing. What was going on?

He searched for the source. Its focal point.

It was her.

It was coming from within the young woman he had defeated. What was she doing?

He raced toward her. Something was going wrong.

So terribly wrong...

She was doing something to prevent him, _them_ , from having the final piece. He would stop her before she could. It would not end like this. Failure was no an option. He would win above all else!

* * *

 **"We need more chakra!",** a gruff voice exclaimed heatedly, his words riling up his companions. It was not often they heard such words, considering who they were. The irony of it all.

Growls rose in reply. **"There is no more to give!"**

 **"The seal will not work without more chakra!"** Another added with an agitated silvery tone.

Suddenly a flare of chakra neared them. **"Wait! Do you feel that?"**

 **"There's another powerful chakra source coming closer!"** A slim ray of hope had appeared.

With no hesitation, the one which had been leading them, began to pull at that necessary life force towards the seal.

 **"We'll take it from them! They have the remaining amount, even if it's just barely enough!"**

* * *

The closer he approached the weaker he felt, but he would not allow that woman to win. He would stop her.

With each step he took, he could feel his chakra being drained. Yet, this would not dissuade him from reaching the stubborn woman.

Just as he was an arm's length away, the chakra from within him was completely gone. His multi-colored eyes widen in shocked horror as he fell to his knees.

There was nothing left inside.

The gentle, reassuring hum of life from within him had been taken. What had she done?

Raven locks fell limply against his ashen face as his eyesight dimmed.

His strength, his vitalness... It had left him.

No longer able to remain upright, he fell heavily to the ground.

The plan... Had it failed? Was there something they hadn't accounted for?

His ancestor will be furious when he finds out about this. Yet, as he closed his eyes, the blonde figure lying across from him slowly opened hers. They weren't their usual ocean blue.

No, these were bled crimson.

Angry, furious crimson orbs staring down at him in bloodlust and pure satisfaction.

Those eyes knew he had lost and they had won.

They were the last he ever saw before a bright, blinding light enveloped them and he knew no more.

* * *

Late Autumn winds blew across the city of Konoha. It was late in the evening and dark clouds blanketed the sky for miles around. Thunder boomed and lightning streaked across the air to warn the inhabitants of the village of the incoming rain. The handful of people still outdoors hurried for the cover of their homes.

 _'It's a shame I sent my shinobi on such an important mission with this kind of weather, but time is of essence.'_ The Sandaime Hokage thought wearily as he watched the rapidly changing weather. It had seemed so nice earlier.

Stoned faces stared back at him from where he sat in his chair in his office, their gaze's unflinching. His sadden brown eyes focused on his late teacher's eternal face.

 _'Are you upset to known that the peace you strived for has yet to last?'_

Another flash of lightning crossed and illuminated the dull, grey sky.

Maybe it was a trick of the light or perhaps his own feelings, but their faces seemed almost... sorrowful. As if they knew the oncoming battles to be waged.

The lives to be lost and ruined.

The never ending cycle of hatred and anger continuing to run its destructive course.

A heavy, resigned sigh escaped the middle aged man.

To live to see another war was not something he wished on anyone, much less to be in charge during such turbulent times. Knowing that he could lead those under his command to their deaths in pointless battles was such a burdening weight on his soul.

The success of this mission was vital, but he knew deep down that this war, which was brewing over the horizon for some time now, would not be stopped. Postponed and slowed down perhaps, but it would come. Sooner than he'd have ever hoped or wished for.

 _'I wish you the best of luck, Sakumo. For all our sakes'...'_

* * *

Their orders had been clear.

Dispose of the Suna contingent heading toward the aid of Iwa. Leave no witnesses and frame Iwa to stop any possible chances of an allegiance between the two villages.

Yet, they hadn't been prepared for the number of enemy shinobi they were to face.

The intel had been grossly incorrect.

They had been expecting a small force, easy to ambush, but instead were met by a team from Iwa and two from Suna. All four-men squads with a Jonin each, who cornered them at the border of Fire Country and Wind, mere miles away from the northern borders of Earth.

Sakumo Hatake cursed as he fended off his attackers, he could see that his companions, another Jonin and two Chunins', were having a difficult time keeping their opponents back.

It was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed and killed. However, before he could help them, he noticed the lone Iwa shinobi racing off towards the direction of his village.

He would alert his village of this attack, who would send for back up and their mission would fail. War would be declared, once Iwa and Suna learned that Konoha had been the one behind the attack on their ninja.

 _'Damn it!'_

There was no possible way for his entire team to make it back to Konoha and still complete the mission. Either he chased after the Iwa shinobi and killed as many as he could, using his team-mates to buy him time or save his men and fail the mission.

A heavy sense of dread swelled in his chest as he spared a fleeting glance at the three men.

So young the three of them.

The oldest being 23 and the youngest 19. He himself was only 26 years of age. Old for a ninja, but he had no desire to face death just yet. He had a little boy to get back to, just as he knew that his comrades had family expecting them to return as well.

He couldn't sacrifice the lives of such young men. He couldn't leave them to their deaths.

It would be such a wasteful, and regretful thing to do. Contempt for his indecision rose, and a harsh smile danced on his lips ruefully.

His decision made, Sakumo hurried toward his comrades. Putting more and more distance between him and that Iwa shinobi, when suddenly, a deafening boom resounded in the northern direction of which they had been fighting in. The direction in which that Iwa shinobi had run off to.

Then all hell broke loose.

Swirling masses of light and fire rocketed through the forest and sky. Massive storm clouds formed in the once blue sky above them in the blink of an eye. Tempest winds and crackling lightning rumbled the earth.

The atmosphere was filled with potent charge of chakra of numerous colors; Gold, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and orange. Each producing blasts of intense flames, scorching the shinobi of Iwa and Suna, leaving their charred remains behind.

Sakumo felt his hands tremble and his saber shook in his grasp. What the hell was going on?

Everything was happening too quickly. He couldn't keep up, and was barely dodging the onslaught of attacks.

He vaguely registered hearing the horrified and agony filled screams, over the deafening clashes of thunder and sonic chakra blasts. The cries of the shinobi behind him, who were once mocking him of his impending failure, as he hurried to his team-mates.

Sakumo spotted overhead eight orbs of varied colors race across the torrent sky in different directions. Where they were going was anyone's guess.

Just as soon as it started, it ended. The flaring, rampant chakra was gone leaving a disaster zone behind in its wake.

Five minutes of death and destruction had just ended as if nothing had ever been wrong. A sudden downpour of lead rain fell in heavy tears, as if despairing over the lost of so much life. Both human and plant life.

The sudden silence was suffocating.

A once forest filled and lively clearing was a burning, ashen battle ground. Blood and smoking, charred corpses littered the ground. Melted weapons scattered everywhere. Isolated flames still flickering dimly all around as the heavenly water steadily extinguished them.

What could have been capable of such an annihilation of life?

 _'Well at least, I don't have to chase down that Iwa shinobi.'_ Sakumo morbidly mused as he spotted the half burnt form of the messenger who hadn't been lucky enough to completely escape the radius of the malevolent chakra.

A terrified shriek from behind him, alerted the White Fang of Konoha that not all the enemy had been dealt with.

"You bastards what have you done?!" A ninja from Suna cried out accusingly.

A confused scowl formed on the silver haired man's masked face as he closed in on them.

"Us? We should be asking you! What has done this?"

Seeing that the legendary, Sakumo Hatake, was approaching them, the three remaining enemy shinobi quickly raised kunai's to the shocked Konoha ninja's unguarded throats, holding them captive.

"We'll be the one's asking the questions here, White Fang!" The same Suna shinobi retorted, tightening his hold on his alarmed prisoner.

Sakumo narrowed his steel eyes at them, different scenarios running through his prodigal mind on how to get his comrades to safety.

However, before he could implement any of them, the sky darkened once again and turned a bloody red. Drawing their collective gaze's upward, more of that chakra had returned, yet it wasn't as potent as before.

Streaks of orange and crimson came from the direction of Fire Country. The rain had stopped.

The world seemed to pause. Waiting for whatever was to happen next.

What appeared in the minute after, no one expected in a thousand years.

A fearsome, fiery furred beast towered over them. Nine tails swishing dauntingly behind it.

It resembled a fox.

A demonic fox with its jaws snarling at them. Gazing down at them as if belittling them, taunting them.

Never had any of them felt more mortal than they did standing before such an immortal creature.

The mighty beast had immense red and orange energy dangerously flowing from its body, incinerating all in its path. The earth trembled as it moved, closing the distance between them. One tail came crashing down on the ground forming a crater, obliterating everything that had once stood there into rubble.

Sakumo held his blade up as a means of safety as meager as it was. He swallowed nervously as he tried to think up an escape plan. His usually perceptive and analytical mind seemed to shut down as the beast narrowed his dark crimson's eyes thoughtfully at him.

 _'The Kyuubi? Why is it looking at me? What the hell is going on?!'_

Never had anything looked at him with such a scathing intensity. The burning orbs were full of pure, animalistic malice, promising pain and death. It was only through sheer will that kept him from averting his gaze.

Blood-lust and power emanated from the formidable beast in great, sickening waves. Fear threatened to overpower him just as it had the Suna shinobi who had slacked their holds on their captives.

The three freed Leaf ninja escaped to their leader's side. He was the strongest among them. He was their last line of defense. Should he fall, so would they.

Sakumo stood straight, his posture shifting defensively in front of his men and consequently the Suna shinobi cowering a few mere feet away.

No one dared to say a word. Seconds ticked by, and Sakumo noticed the change in the chakra radiating from the Nine-Tailed Fox. It was diminishing, losing its blazing form.

 _'Is its' chakra draining?'_

As if hearing his thoughts, the beast flickered his gaze back to him before turning around and disappearing in a vortex of chakra floating in mid-air above them.

Three gigantic arms made of red chakra sprouted from the churning vortex and enclosed around the fleeing Suna shinobi's figures, ignoring the petrified forms of the Konoha shinobi.

Sakumo and his team gawked in morbid, terrified fascination as the transparent arms crushed the life out of the three ninja. Their screams would forever echo within them.

Those same arms threw down the mangled bodies unto the scorched earth before returning to the swirling mass. Dust and dirt rose up from where their corpses impacted the ground.

Sakumo glanced briefly at the bodies before quickly averting his gaze. They had died in the most brutal way. Their bodies had been compacted until they had suffocated on their own blood. He could make out the tell-tell signs of crimson escaping from their external orifices.

"Ha-Hatake-san, wh-what's going on?" One of Chunin stuttered in fear, as he cowered behind him.

"I wish I knew." The Sakumo's words sounded strained as he tried to focus on a plan of action.

Before the frighten man could respond, two crimson eyes flashed fiercely at them from within the mass of chakra, pinning their shaking forms with its heated gaze.

 **"Save her. Protect her**." A deep, gravelly voice reverberated around them, shocking even further the disturbed ninja.

Then the flashing orbs vanished and the red chakra began to float down in a twisting line toward what once was a cave. Now only partial rock walls remained in its place.

"Stay here." Sakumo commanded sharply at his petrified team over his shoulder as he chased after the fleeting chakra.

"Wait Hatake-san!"

His yells fell on deaf ears as the silver haired man disappeared from their view behind one of the bigger cavern walls that still remained intact.

The three man looked at one another. Silently prompting one another to go after their leader. Yet, none had the courage and ultimately cowered together in a defensive formation waiting for his eventual return.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the rather interesting light show illuminate the formerly dreary sky.

 _'I've never seen such lights appear before. I wonder what's the caused.'_

As he mused over this conundrum, a frantic blond haired teen charged in through his window. He rapidly began to inhale a large gasp of air before hurriedly speaking breathlessly.

"Hokage-sama! Kushina! She collapsed and red chakra started to leak out of her in huge waves. She's currently in the hospital out of danger, but sir..."

At the teen's sudden hesitance, Sarutobi grew worried and impatiently cried out as he stood from his chair, "What is it? Speak Minato!"

Gulping nervously and with a nod, the young man, Minato Namikaze, continued, "At first, I feared the seal had weakened, but when I checked it. The seal never appeared. Sir, the Nine-Tails is no longer within Uzumaki Kushina. I have no idea where it is."

The Sandaime's previously tan face, whitened considerably at the news. One of the Bijuu, and not just any Bijuu, the most powerful of them all was no longer in its cage with nothing keeping back its rage and hatred.

 _'God help us all...'_

* * *

What laid behind that rock wall was bizarre.

A grown man with a heavily scarred face on his right side rested unmoving on the cavern ground and definitely dead. His eyes had been gorged out. It was a very unpleasant and gruesome sight.

Sakumo turned his focus instead toward the figure laying across from the disfigured man.

A child.

A tiny, battered blonde haired little girl laid prone on the dirty ground. Her clothing splattered in blood, scorch marks, and shredded into tatters. She couldn't be any older than his own boy back home, who had a few mere months ago turned five.

His keen eyes gazed sadly at the child, silently taking in her abused form. Infinite sorrow resonated in his dark orbs as he gazed at her.

She looked so beatened. It sickened him. Even more so than the guy lying across from them.

Judging by the position of where this cave once stood, he surmised that she must have been kept captive by Iwa shinobi, whom he knew had been camping in this spot before they had arrived.

He watched in avid interest as the last trickles of red, violent chakra were sucked into her by an unknown force. A black, flashing seal appeared over her stomach once the final remaining strands were contained.

The realization of what this implied disturbed him greatly.

She was a jinchuuriki. This small being was the holder of the Nine-Tailed Fox. He wouldn't have believed it, if it weren't for the fact that he had witness with his own eyes the Bijuu's sudden appearance.

 _'However this explains that detonation of chakra. What I don't understand is how the Kyuubi got here. I know for a fact that the Uzumaki girl was the container.'_

Something had been overlooked, though what it was, he was not sure. He focused on what he had learned, but there was still something missing. Then it struck him with a sinking heart at the implication.

He thought back to when he noticed the red chakra coming from the direction of Fire Country. Of Konoha...

A theory began to develop as he looked at this situation from as many angles as possible. Only one conclusion was definite.

This girl had been used to summon the Bijuu from within its original container. It was successful, but not as how Iwa would have wished, judging by the utter disaster he had just been witness to.

He reluctantly conceded that this made the most sense. Yet now, he faced another painful dilemma, but one he knew he could not escape.

His gaze fell downward once again, filled with pity for her.

He took in the long blonde strands which framed her face and sprawled out on the ground, making her appear like a tiny fallen angel. She was certainly cute, especially with her little whiskered cheeks, which he concluded must have come from containing the Fox Bijuu.

 _'I'll have to take her with me back to Konoha. The Hokage will be raving mad once he learns about this.'_

Sakumo bent down and gathered the young girl in his arms. Her weight was barely noticeable he absentmindedly noted as he carried her over gently to his awaiting squad.

 _'Those poor chumps must be scared shitless at this point after witnessing such an absolute massacre.'_

Astonishment raced over his masked face at the sudden thought. It dawned on him that he and his team still lived despite all the odds. His mission had ended up being successful thanks to the girl and the Nine-tails appearance.

A small amused smirk tugged at his lips at the thought.

 _'Well that's one for the record books.'_

"Hatake-san!" His comrades raced toward him once he appeared from behind the wall.

They instantly halted in their steps once they spotted the girl in his arms.

Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, Sakumo sighed before explaining what he discovered.

A stun silenced followed his words.

"So she contains that big, horrible beast that was standing before us earlier? The same one who killed those Suna shinobi?" One of the Chuunin, the most vocal of the two, asked weakly, just to confirm.

"Yes, as of right now. She stands between us and that demon." Sakumo stated as he leveled a severe look at the three.

His fellow Jonin, a curly, raven haired Uchiha by the name of Taiga, flickered his gaze at the unconscious child before turning back to his leader. "What would happen if that seal on her breaks?"

A sigh escaped Sakumo before he answered, "The beast would escape, but that's the least of our worries."

Taiga rose a skeptical brow at his leader. "How come? How can you be so sure?"

The silver haired Hatake leaned back a little in thought as he turned his gaze up to the dark sky where the swirling vortex of chakra had been floating. "Remember, right before the thing disappeared, it spoke to us."

The Uchiha nodded as he recalled the event. "Oh yeah. It said... Save her. Protect her. I guess it was speaking about the child."

"I think there is something special about her and that fearsome creature realized it."

While the two Jonin seemed at ease with this revelation, the youngest of the Chunin began to speak rabidly, "But what if it's all a trick?! What if that's actually the demon in disguise?! Waiting to attack us once we lower our guard!"

Sakumo glared sharply at the frantic young man. "I saw with my own eyes the beast's chakra being drained into that seal. There is no possible way to fake that. Besides, does this girl look like a threat right now?"

The three looked at the slumbering, bruised child in his arms. She was rather a pathetic sight.

"N-No, sir." The teen responded calmer than before.

"Besides, if the Nine-Tails wished to kill us, it could have easily done it before it got sealed. Just like it did to those Suna shinobi." Sakumo pointed out as he gestured towards the crushed forms of the ninja.

Taiga's eyes widen slowly as the realization sunk it. "That's right. So why didn't it?"

Sakumo nodded grimly at the question that had been plaguing him. "That my comrade is the million ryo question. Why didn't it indeed..."

 _'It wants something from us, but what?'_ As he silently pondered this, he unconsciously shifted the girl closer to him, an action that Taiga's perceptive eyes did not miss.

The wind began to pick up again, heavy and damp. It broke the Jonin of his turbulent thoughts. His dark eyes scanned the decimated field before him. They still had a mission to complete.

"Alright, we have to make this look like Iwa betrayed Suna. So we'll dispose of all the Iwa shinobi and only leave a headband to point in their direction. Understood?" Sakumo reminded the trio as he took off his vest and laid it on the ground, placing the petite blonde on it.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. Two of you start digging a big enough hole to dump all the bodies in." At his orders, the pair of Chuunin headed off to start on the excavating, while Taiga began to drag the charred bodies of the Iwa shinobi closer to where the hole was to be dug.

Sakumo left the Chunin's to their jobs as he went back towards where he found the girl. He grabbed the disfigured man by his legs and hauled him over to where the pile of corpses had been started.

Leaving him next to the rest of the bodies, Sakumo searched him, looking for any clue as to what they had done to the young girl. However, that endeavor proved fruitless, and the Jonin instead went to help the digging Chunin.

The faster this job was completed, the faster he could get the girl to the village. Her wounds weren't life-threatening, but he wanted her seal to get checked out. There were too many mysteries surrounding her and this mission for his liking.

* * *

A orange furred creature watched in smug satisfaction as the Konoha shinobi dumped the body of that bastard Uchiha, alongside the charred corpses of the Iwa shinobi, before his body was burned into a crisp with a Fire Jutsu.

Life was certainly filled with ironies.

That same Uchiha, who loathed Iwa shinobi with his entire being was being buried and burned with those same weaklings he hated with a jutsu that belonged to his clan. Quite fitting in his opinion.

The new seal was very advantageous. He was glad to have to been able to alter it enough for his benefit, plus retrieve his present form from within the red head Uzumaki. Now he was able to easily manipulate his chakra from within the seal, so he can see the outside world without having to rely on his container being conscious.

As he gathered his strength within the cage of his seal, Kurama plotted his next steps. Many things had to be changed. The original plot-line of his time could not be allowed to followed its pre-designed course. Those damned Uchiha had to be stopped above all else.

Yet, how to convince those tree-huggers that his vessel wasn't a threat without revealing that she was from the future. On top of that, he had to get the emotional girl to understand the severity of their situation, since she still didn't know what he and the others had done. There was no room for mistakes.

 _ **'No one would ever believe a little girl was from the future, but perhaps they'll believe a Bijuu who can look into the future.'**_

As the idea wormed itself into his mind, Kurama knew it would be a long-shot, but one that would work in their favor if successful.

 _ **'It was a good idea I left those Konoha ninja alive or else this ruse would not be as convincing.'**_

Then he felt it. That familiar tugging sensation, he had been waiting for. The girl's consciousness had finally returned from itself-induced coma.

* * *

The agony, the suffering, it had finally ended. She searched for a way out of the engulfing darkness surrounding her. How long she was there just floating aimlessly, she couldn't remember.

Had she died? Was this never ending, pitch-black, darkness what awaited on the other side of death?

Thinking back on her life, Naruto felt an overwhelming sense of regret. Remorse for all she failed to do.

To become Hokage. ' _Kakashi-sensei was Hokage last time I saw him, since Baa-chan fell into a coma.'_

To protect her village. ' _That one, I failed spectacularly. There's a crater of dirt and rubble where my home once stood.'_

To save her friends. ' _Most of them were still traitors, gravelly injured, or dead.'_

To end the cycle of hatred. ' _Sasuke, Obito, and Madara are still alive if I'm actually dead.'_

Yet, if she really was dead than that meant the Bijuu, she had sealed within herself as a last resort, had gone with her. They would never regenerate again thanks to the Sealing Jutsu: Shiki Fujin.

Now that she thought about it, maybe she was inside the Shinigami's stomach. It certainly explained the darkness.

Well if it was, at least she managed to stop Madara's Eye of the Moon plan. He needed all nine Bijuu to accomplish it. Now he would never get his hands on them again.

More time passed and the young blond seventeen year old grew bored.

 _'Death sure is lame. I've got nothing to do. No Ramen, no nothing... Man this sucks.'_

An intense ray of light momentarily blinded her before her ocean blue eyes acclimated to it. A single ray broke through the abyss she found her self in. Something beckon her to follow it, trusting her gut had never let her down before, so she did.

The light grew brighter and larger as she moved toward it as if she were immersed in water. With ever movement she made, she felt her self tire. Soon her limbs felt like lead, but she was so close.

She could see that the ray was actually an opening. Her salvation was on the other side. She knew it was.

Gathering the last of her strength, she hauled herself forward. A sensation of falling over came her. Panic and fear welled up within her, as she realized she was in water.

 _'What the hell?!'_

She let loose a scream.

* * *

Her form had appeared before his cage. She was still asleep, but with his chakra, Kurama managed to stimulate her to awaken.

A loud, sudden inhale of air alerted him to her arrival.

He could sense how frantic and scared she was as she rose from the floor, her eyes searching for the danger she last knew.

 **"Calm down, brat."**

The familiar deep voice, snapped her from her panic.

"Kurama?"

 **"Took you long enough to get here kid."**

She blinked up at him in a stunned awe. "Wha- What a minute! Wasn't I dead or dying at least?"

 **"Dead? No. Dying? Yes, probably would be dead, if I and the others hadn't acted quickly enough."**

At the mention of the other Bijuu, she realized the seal had gone back to how it was before she merged with Kurama and sealed the other eight inside of her. "Wait, the others? Where are they?"

 **"In their present containers I assume. This seal only allows for me to remain here."**

"But what happened? I remember floating in darkness, and then being surrounded in water."

 **"That was probably the result of traveling through the time seal. We used your soul as a medium."**

Naruto's cerulean orbs widen in surprise at the sudden information.

"What time seal? My soul?"

Kurama nodded sagely as he sat down closer to the metal bars of his cage.

 **"Yes, the Jikan Hanten Fuin, Time Reversal Seal. Allows for the resetting of time at the cost of immense, godly amounts of chakra. A human container with a soul is used to allow them to go back to a time of their desire."**

Glancing briefly at the stunned girl, the Kyuubi waited for the information to sink in before continuing, **"Since I and the other Bijuu used the chakra sealed within you, the medium,** _ **you**_ **, went back in time to fix everything. Taking with you our future selves, all nine Bijuu."**

 **"My brothers and sisters have joined with their present forms. They still retain their knowledge of the future, however."**

Oceanic eye's narrowed as the enormous creature finished his explanation. Skepticism caused a frown to appear on the blonde's pink lips.

"What about your future self? If you're not lying to me, then that means you're currently sealed inside my mother."

 **"I foresaw this minor obstacle and altered your original seal. It now acts as a beacon for my chakra, summoning my present form from your mother. I'm already integrated with my past self."**

Naruto eyed the towering fox up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Well that would explain why you're much bigger than I remembered." She mumbled dryly under her breath before saying louder, "If it wasn't for the fact I know you wouldn't lie to me about something so serious, I'd think all that chakra had finally gone to your head. So how far back in time are we?"

A small relieved sigh escaped the mighty Bijuu seeing that his host was finally cooperating with him. **"Before your father becomes Fourth Hokage. The actual time-line I'm still not quite sure, but that was the general area I was aiming for."**

She felt as if the air had been knocked out of her at his words. ' _That far back?'_

"Why this time though?" She retorted vehemently. Her eyes the size of saucers. She was dumbfounded by his actions.

Kurama's crimson orbs became slits of hate as he further elaborated. **"Madara's Eye of the Moon plan doesn't truly start until he saves Obito Uchiha, your sensei's old team-mate. I brought us here so you can stop Obito from being crushed by those rocks, which led Madara into finding him."**

A gasp left her parted lips at his words. It took a couple of moments for her to find her voice again.

Naruto started to speak with a shaky tone, "That's all? Just stopping that event will change everything?"

His crimson eyes pinned her in place with their seemingly glowing gaze, as he spoke virulently, **"No, that is just the first step. That immoral Uchiha will not be so easily deterred. Stopping him from recruiting the scarred one will be only a minor set back to that bastard. There are other significant things and events we must change. We will beat those cursed Uchiha at their own game!"**

The realization of the Bijuu's intelligence and plotting overwhelmed her. She knew he was a creature of immense power, but now she knew he had the genius to back it up. It was a terrifying realization.

"Like what?" Naruto felt herself falling into her despair. To change the past... It was almost an inconceivable challenge, one she feared she could not do.

Then the faces of all those she failed to protect. To save from their darkness, of those she left behind in a ruined future, began to flash before her eyes in a never ending circle. It was maddening.

She remembered their smiling faces. Their hopes and dreams had been placed on her shoulders. All those promises she made. The one's she failed.

For them, she had to do it for them.

 _'I gave my word, dattebayo!'_

 _'I will not lose my ninja way!'_

 _'Never again will allow such weakness to take hold of me!'_

 _'I will save my future!'_

 _'Their future!'_

 **"Just sit and listen, brat. Everything depends on you from this point on, got it?"** The incarnate creature growled lowly to the panicking kunoichi, oblivious to her inner struggle.

 _'Or my name isn't Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!'_

Suddenly, he saw that familiar cold, blue fire of determination spark inside her eyes once again. A fanged grin tugged at his lips.

 **"Good. This is what you need to know and do once you awaken."**

* * *

Night had fallen over Konoha. Her civilian residents were busy preparing themselves for their well deserved bed rest after having worked through another day. The cascading rain which had last a few mere moments was a thing of the past as they laid their heads.

For the shinobi on the other hand, their work was still on-going. A ninja's job is never done when it involves the safety of their loved ones. Sentry's and patrol's did their duty without much of a problem and went about their task with a carefree attitude.

Inside a white, bleached hospital room, the carefree atmosphere was a thing of the past, and sorely missed.

Doubt besieged him as he heard the young Jonin speak. "Are you certain Minato that such a thing is even possible?"

The blond teen sighed tiredly as he met his superiors worried gaze. "Honestly Lord Hokage sir, I'm not sure of anything right now. Everything points to the Kyuubi being taken from within its seal. Yet, I can't think of any seals that can do such a thing."

Hiruzen turned away from the weary looking man. He turned his focus on his village enshrouded in shadows. His brown eyes flickered to the cloudless night sky and expansive twinkling stars shining down on them.

"Let's say for a moment that such a seal exist, how would it work?" A thought had occurred to him as he recalled the unusual light show he had witness earlier.

Minato turned surprised at the sudden question toward the man who's cloaked back was facing him. Frowning, the young Namikaze began to speak, not really understanding why his Hokage was asking such a thing.

"Well if anything, it would need a source marker. Something that it uses to target or track. If such a thing existed, it would have needed to use a small portion of the Nine-Tails chakra as a beacon to summon the remaining amount."

Sarutobi nodded absentmindedly as his mind worked overtime on the information he was just given.

He finally responded with a weary sigh, turning back toward the slumbering former jinchuuriki and Jonin. Shoving his speculations aside for another time and trying to focus on more pressing matters.

"I've already sent word for Jiraiya and Orochimaru to return. We'll need their expertise on this matter. I just wish Tsunade would listen to my summons as well. She can take better care of Kushina, but I'm afraid we won't be seeing her any time soon."

Minato brushed his spiky blond locks back roughly as he gazed down on his girlfriends unconscious form laying on the hospital bed before him. "Yes, Sensei will probably know what's going on better than I. At the very least, the Kyuubi's extraction didn't kill Kushina. Lady Tsunade's presence is unnecessary at the moment. She's weak, but the medic's say she'll pull through. However, they don't know how this will impact her chakra coils. They are severely strained and that's what they're most concerned about."

Clasping a tan hand on the younger man's slumped shoulder, Hiruzen replied reassuringly, "Don't worry, son. Everything will be fine. Have hope."

He paused momentarily before saying seriously, "It's best if we keep cool heads right now. Also, let's keep this whole matter quiet. I don't want the council getting word of this situation. It will only cause more problems."

"Yes, sir. I understand." Minato nodded sharply in agreement. He knew just how many problems the council had brought Kushina in the past.

* * *

It was the crack of dawn, a start of a new day. The red and orange blended sun rays were just beginning to peek over the horizon, shining over the green landscape. The surrounding nature slowly awakening from its slumber. Singing morning birds announced the weary team's arrival to their long awaited destination.

"I never felt more happy to be almost home than I am now." The 19 year old Chunin sighed tiredly as they trudged forward homebound.

The others groaned their agreement, too exhausted to speak. Trench digging and non-stop running was not a light task to do back to back after all, much less in under a day.

Sakumo led in silence, lost in his thoughts not paying much attention to his complaining team-mates.

 _'This mission almost makes me want to retire.'_ The silver haired man thought sourly as he saw the approaching imperial village of Konoha, which thankfully seemed as peaceful as ever.

Wrapping a blanket around the child in his arms, to keep away prying eyes, Sakumo hurried pass through the gates, waving at the Chunins on duty who were bewildered by the lack of protocol.

They recognized the silver hair, and the direction in which the four man squad was racing towards, so they didn't question it and returned to their post. This sort of thing happened every now and then after all.

Just as the familiar red tower came into view, Sakumo noticed the lack of the Hokage's chakra signature inside his office. Searching the village for the man, he pinpointed him at the hospital.

Fearing the worst, he picked up his pace and headed in the Hokage's direction with his team hot on his heels.

* * *

 **"Do you understand brat?"**

Naruto hung her head in response to his question before grumbling, "I-Um... well... This is a lot to take in, you know?"

 **"Yes, I get that. But you must play your part exactly like I told you or else we won't have a chance to save your pathetic tree-hugger village."**

"Yeah, I know. Are you sure you covered all our bases for this to work? It seems pretty farfetched don't you think?", the blond responded, distrusting of his plan.

Kurama huffed in contempt at the insinuation. **"Who do you think I am? Of course I did, simpleton. I even went as far as mutated your blood to hide your Uzumaki inheritance."**

Now that caught the skeptical blonde's attention. "Mutated my blood? Why would we need to hide I'm an Uzumaki?"

 **"How do you think you'll be seen if you show up having your blood work match up with not only one, but two of the village's Jonin? By doing this, I helped secure your standing in the village without arousing too much suspicion. One coincidence is enough to warrant second thoughts, but two are sure to be a problem."**

The blonde understood what he was referring to. If the Third Hokage was anything like she remember the old man to be, then he would naturally suspect her origins. That man never believed in a innocent coincidence.

 **"I remember your father had a much better standing within the village than your mother. So he is the better option of the two choices. He is also big advocate on that ridiculous philosophy, Will of Fire, just as you are."**

Kurama paused to smirk before continuing smugly, **"So naturally if he learns the two of you are related, he'll find a way to convince the Hokage to allow you to stay and become a ninja. That is when our plan begins."**

Naruto chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully before asking, "Why can't we say I'm an Uzumaki instead?" ' _I've always been an Uzumaki and proud of it! I don't want to hide that part of my heritage.'_

Nine tails swished impatiently as the Kyuubi rolled his eyes, practically hearing the thoughts racing inside the blonde's head.

 **"Besides the fact that your clan is supposedly entirely wiped out, you have your father's coloring. It will be easier to convince them just by looking at you. If you were a redhead, then we could have worked that angle instead."**

This was swiftly met with cries of protest and disbelief. "Yeah, but everyone said, even Kakashi-sensei and pervy sage, that I have my mother's face! If they see how close alike we look, they'll be suspicious!"

 **"Weren't you listening brat? I mutated your blood."** Kurama snapped at the remark bitingly at the skeptical girl.

He chuckled darkly to himself, seeing the flash of surprise in her eyes, before saying, **"By doing so, I've changed some of your key features, such as your face structure and eyes."**

Wide blue orbs looked up at the fearsome Bijuu with confusion.

 **"I've made your sire's genes more prominent than before. Your eyes are now more similar to his than your mothers. Not exactly alike, mind you, but no longer identical to hers. Your face is also a bit sharper, not as round as it once had been. Who knows, you might even be more attractive than you were before."** He finished explaining with a pleased nod.

Not another word was said as Naruto processed this new bit of information. Finally with a whine of annoyance and resignation, she threw up her hands in defeat before running them through her long blonde locks.

She reluctantly conceded that what her partner did was for the best, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

She raged silently at the thought, but managed to keep her voice calm. "Okay, but how I am going to explain that a seventeen year old is the long lost relative of a man, who's practically my own age?!"

A fanged smirk formed on Kurama's face as his crimson orbs twinkled in amusement.

 **"Who says you're a seventeen year old?"**

Not liking the mysterious tone the large beast had suddenly taken, a sense of trepidation and weariness formed as she raised her head to meet Kurama's.

Oceanic eyes narrowed warily at the bemused Bijuu. "What do you mean?"

 **"When you wake up, make sure to look in a mirror."**

"Why should I do that?" Her mind was racing through all the possible meanings behind his words. ' _I already know he changed my face, but how bad could it be?'_

Kurama grinned sadistically seeing the uneasy in the blonde's usually confident cerulean eyes. **"You'll find that you are no longer in your adult form. To better ensure your success in saving that sorry excuse for an Uchiha, I de-aged you so to speak. You're currently in the body of a five year old."**

Naruto recoiled in shock. "What the hell!?"

* * *

 **A/N: Well this is getting a rewrite. I found a lot of conflicting issues with my timeline and I thought it best to just rewrite and changed certain parts to fit the timeline better. So now Naruto and Kakashi are the same age.**

 **I've always loved this pairing and time-travel fanfictions, so I decided to try my hand at it. I won't discard my other Naruto Fic, but my time will be more divided between the two! So I ask that you guys be patient with me and when I update!**

 **Hope this sparked some interest and please let me know if you guys like it!**

 **Until next time dear readers!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hourglass**

" _They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."_

― Andy Warhol

* * *

As dawn broke, the Sandaime Hokage arrived at the hospital room of the young Uzumaki, who had once been the container for the Nine-Tailed Fox. He had expected to briefly check up on the girl and her blond boyfriend before heading to his office and starting on the paperwork that was surely piling sky high.

He didn't, however, account for a silver haired man and his entourage to charge into the room as if the gates of hell had been opened behind them.

"Hokage-sama! Are you alright?" The tall, masked shinobi exclaimed as he barged into the hospital room.

Hiruzen and Minato, who was reclining against the wall beside the bed, blinked in surprise. Both trying to understand just what had occurred.

"Sakumo? I'm perfectly fine, more importantly, why are you here so soon? I didn't expect you to arrive for another day or two from your mission."

The silver haired Hatake instantly scanned the room. His steel orbs widening a fraction when he spotted the redhead.

His eyes lingered thoughtfully on the young woman before he met his superiors gaze. This was noticed by both blond haired Jonin, who frowned at the older man, and the baffled Hokage.

"Sir, there's been a complication..."

Dismay swept instantly through the middle aged Hokage at his words.

"Your mission failed?", Sarutobi quickly replied, unable to hide his surprise and disbelief.

Sakumo shook his head. "No sir, the mission is a success. It was completed as ordered however, the way it was done is rather complicated and lengthy."

A tense silence followed his words.

"We'll leave this conversation until we're at my office.", Hiruzen's sharp tone said finally, telling nothing about what he was currently thinking of.

Knowing a command when spoken, the lower ranked men shuffled for the door behind them. Never upset the higher ups, the life motto of Chunins. Only Taiga remained in his spot beside Sakumo.

The Hatake was about to follow after his retreating men out of the bleached room, when he halted momentarily. His dark eyes flickered over to the slumbering woman before returning towards Sarutobi.

"Before we go, may I ask why you are at the hospital?"

Hiruzen scanned Sakumo's masked face for a good long second as he replied, "I'm here to check up on Uzumaki Kushina, she's suffered a collapse." He gestured toward the red headed young woman laying on the white bed with a baffled blonde at her side.

Sakumo glanced at the woman, before briefly meeting the eyes of his Hokage. With a sigh, he called back his men into the room, closing the door firmly behind them.

"Sir, would you please place a privacy seal in this room. What I'm about to reveal to you may have a connection to the girl's sudden _condition_."

Astonishment raced over the faces of Minato and Hiruzen at the Hatake's words. ' _Did he know what happened to the Nine-Tails?'_

Sarutobi turned to face a pale Minato. "Do as he says."

"Yes, sir." The blond responded quickly, just as anxious to learn what the silver haired man had to say.

Once Minato had secured the room, he gave the okay to his leader.

"Very well, Sakumo. Please go on."

Having the floor, the Hatake approached an unoccupied bed next to where Kushina laid. He placed the green, worn blanket in his arms gently on the bed.

A blanket, which until now, had been overlooked by both blond Jonin and Hokage. He unraveled it and stepped back so the others could get a better look.

"This may be the answer to all your questions."

* * *

Despite still being angry at what the Bijuu had done to her, Naruto's curiosity won over. She asked nonetheless, "Why'd you get so quiet all of a sudden?"

Crimson orbs peered down at the pouting blonde with annoyance, before gazing out into the distance as he had done earlier.

 **"I am watching what will happen to you."**

"Huh?", she replied with a raised eyebrow.

A sigh escaped the towering orange furred beast. **"The altered seal lets me view the outside world without having to depend on you being conscious like before. Right now, we are in Konoha. In the hospital by the looks of things. Your mother has collapsed, more than likely from having my present form removed from her seal."**

He glanced down at her abruptly with a calculating gaze, almost as if he was trying to decipher something. **"Your father and the Third Hokage are here as well."**

Naruto questioned with surprise, "We're in Konoha?"

 **"Yes, we were brought by what I surmise is the sire of your Jonin sensei."**

"Kakashi-sensei's dad?" Now more curious than before to know what was occurring in the outside world around her.

Kurama chuckled faintly at the girl's reaction. **"Yes, their resemblance is uncanny. When I appeared momentarily from your mothers seal, I had initially confused the two before I remembered the time differences."**

She nodded at this before asking, "If we weren't in Konoha before, where did that time seal take us then?"

 **"We were still inside that cave you had been trapped in."**

Naruto's cerulean eyes widen in realization. "Right, that was located on the border between Fire and Wind country. It's also pretty close to Earth from what I remember."

Kurama nodded in agreement, as he informed her of what had transpired at their arrival. **"We appeared amidst a battle between Suna, Iwa, and those tree-huggers. The chakra expulsion removed the majority of the threat, but there were some stragglers that managed to survive. I took care of them."**

Seeing the smug look of satisfaction on her partner's face, worried the blonde girl. "You didn't do anything to the leaf ninja right?"

A snort of contempt escaped the immortal beast. **"Of course not. Our plan would fail, if I had."**

She looked up at him with an uncertain expression. A frown prominent on her lips. "Yeah, that's for sure. I still don't know if I agree with all this."

Kurama retorted with some exasperation lacing his words, **"There is no better course of action than the one I have explained to you already, brat."**

Naruto shook her head, but knew that he spoke the truth. This _was_ the best plan they had. "Alright, alright. Don't get your fur in a bunch, fuzzball."

 **"You may have to awaken soon."** Kurama spoke suddenly with urgency in his tone.

"Why? What's going on?" Her body automatically tensing, preparing for whatever was a threat.

Kurama grimaced as he heard what the men in the room were talking about, and he knew that he had to drastic measures soon.

 **"They are getting worried by your condition and the seal."**

Naruto's earlier mirth was instantly replaced with one of panic. "But, I don't think I'm ready! What if I say the wrong thing?!"

The Bijuu contemplated the young girl's words. Just as he was going to respond, he saw an opportunity to set things into motion.

 _ **'Drastic measures indeed...'**_

Making his decision, he stood up from his reclining position in his cage **. "Very well, if you do not wish to speak to them yet, then I will have to do so for you."**

The blonde's previous worries vanished with dumbfounded shock.

"Wait what!? "

Kurama waved Naruto's concerns away. **"Do not fear Uzumaki, I will make things right."**

"No wait! What are you going to do?" She exclaimed frantically. Several rampant ideas and images swarmed her mind at the thought of Kurama in front of the people he had no love for.

 **"Wait and see."** Sparing no more words, Naruto watched as the mighty Bijuu disappeared from within its cage. She could still feel the familiar thrum of his chakra within her, so she knew he hadn't completely escaped from the seal.

 _'And now I'm alone...'_ Naruto thought gloomily as she bowed her head in resignation. ' _I hope you know what you're doing, Kurama...'_

* * *

A wall of silence surrounded them. Hiruzen and Minato had listened intently to what Sakumo had to tell them. They were absolutely appalled by the tale the silver haired Jonin and his team had told them.

Sarutobi recovered first and turned with a grave look on his face to the frozen in shock blond.

"Minato, I need you to examine that seal. Normally, I'd wait until Jiraiya was here, but we have to make sure that the seal is stable before anything else."

Hearing the urgency in the command, snapped the young Namikaze from his perturbed thoughts. His mind was racing as he approached the unconscious blonde little girl with hesitation heavy in his steps.

He may have trusted Kushina and her seal, but this girl was an unknown factor and a potential threat.

All stood ready, prepared for anything, as they watched the blond seal master examine the young Jinchuuriki.

His cerulean orbs narrowed in thought as his previous unease vanished to be overtaken by fascination as he watched the complex lines appear underneath his expert hands.

Unable to take the wait, the feared Sandaime asked after a few minutes of tense silence, "Minato is that seal secure?"

"Yes, incredibly so. I've never seen anything like it." His tone of voice gave away his amazement.

Intrigued by what the blond was doing, Sakumo inquired, "What does it do?"

"It was just as I said earlier, Hokage-sama. This seal has a beacon like function for the Nine-Tail's chakra, among other things. Who ever created this is a sealing master of the highest caliber." Minato internally praised the creator, before continuing with his explanation.

"Not only does it safely seal the Bijuu, but it acclimate's its chakra slowly to the host. This girl is going to have the largest chakra reserves than anyone in the village, even you Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi and Sakumo gasped in astonishment at the implication. "That's astounding. Who could have created such a thing?"

"Well, sir, I don't know how relevant this is, but where I found the girl there was a man next to her. He was dead, but the strange thing is his eyes had been gorged out." Sakumo commented offhandedly.

Hiruzen turned toward him. "So you believe this man could have been the one to create the seal?"

"Truthfully, I don't know what to believe. This whole thing is just so crazy." Sakumo said as he rubbed his temple. He could feel a headache coming on.

Minato nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're certainly right about that."

"One of my main concerns is who is this child? Where did she come from?" Hiruzen said with a sigh.

"In the location I found her suggest that she had been with shinobi from Iwa." The silver haired man responded, making the others look at him with an interested gaze.

"Iwa? This is not good. If Iwa truly is behind this, then it means that they are after another Bijuu. With two, they are a problem, but three is certainly a threat." Now, Sarutobi began to get nervous. After all, he had never expected one of the other major villages to try to capture the Nine-Tails from them.

Understandings his Hokage's unease, Minato glanced down back toward the battered, whiskered cheeked girl with a thoughtful gaze. ' _I need to know more about how this seal works.'_

Making a decision, Minato turned to lock his eyes with the Hokage's.

"Sir, if I may, I'd like to channel a larger portion of my chakra into the seal. It'll give me a better idea of how the chakra is circulated within the girl."

Sarutobi looked at him with an uncertain look on his face, something he didn't feel very often in regards to the blond Jonin. "Is it safe?"

"Generally speaking, it shouldn't affect the seal at all." Minato replied with an easy shrug.

Sighing, Hiruzen turned his gaze back to the village, unsure as to what was the best course of action to take next in regards to this unusual predicament. "Very well, but be careful." ' _I hope I don't regret doing this...'_

Minato nodded sharply, "Yes, sir. If you may all stand back, just to be on the safe side. I don't know much about this seal's capabilities."

Once everyone was a safe enough distance away, the young Namikaze started to pour his chakra into the darkening seal. A sharp gasp left Minato's parted lips in surprise. An alarming sight to all those gathered in the room.

"Minato! What is it?" Hiruzen gave Minato a startled look.

Suddenly, red chakra began to pour out of the seal in retribution to the invasion of the foreign chakra. Its foul presence engulfing them.

"What the hell is happening?!" One of the previously silent Chuunin exclaimed in horror.

"It's the Kyuubi's chakra." Minato replied gravelly.

Sarutobi's eyes widen at the answer. "The Bijuu? I thought you said the seal was secure?"

"It is! But when I channeled my chakra deeper inside it, I realized too late that there is a small portion of it _outside_ the seal." The young seal master retorted with a sour taste in his mouth. ' _I should have known better! Dammit!'_

"What?!" Sakumo and Hiruzen exclaimed in unison, staggered at the revelation.

"This chakra isn't contained by the seal, the Bijuu controls it!" Just as those words left Minato's lips, a large explosion of white smoke went off.

 **"Well put, flesh bag."** A deep, amused voice rang throughout the room.

The sudden unfamiliar voice caught the coughing shinobi off-guard. Instantly all had fallen into a practiced defensive stance with sharp blade's in their hands.

"Who said that?" The blond Jonin inched closer protectively to the Hokage as he turned to face the heart of the cloud from which the voice seemed to originate.

The white smoke slowly cleared away revealing an orange, crimson eyed creature from within it. **"Are you blind? or are you simply an idiot?"**

Six pairs of eyes widen in astonishment, staring down at the figure.

"Th-That's the..." Taiga began to say before being cut off.

 **"Yes, I am. But there will be more time for that later. Right now you must listen to me humans."**

The blond Jonin felt his blood run cold when he noticed the nine swaying tails behind the orange furred fox creature.

"It's outside the seal?!"

The Bijuu shook his head. **"Not quite. This the greatest amount of chakra the seal permits me to utilize as I wish outside of it. Now if you're done urinating on yourselves, I can explain why I have bothered to speak to you weaklings."**

Swallowing his fears, Hiruzen turned to the frozen teen and commanded sharply, "Minato contain it!"

Before the young Namikaze could reply, Sakumo cut in, "No, wait sir. I believe we should hear it out!"

The tan Hokage gaped, wide eyed at the masked Jonin.

"Why on earth would we listen to it?"

The silver haired Jonin glanced at his trembling team before responding, "It spoke to us before. It actually led me to the girl. I think there's something it wants from us."

A snort escaped the large dog-sized Bijuu. **"At least there is one intelligent among you monkeys."**

Despite the numerous warning bells going off in his head, Sarutobi had to admit that there was some logic to Sakumo's request after hearing the mission report.

"Very well, what is it that you wish to say." He finally agreed with a wary glance at the bemused fox demon.

Standing up on his four legs, the Bijuu approached the bed on which rested the little blonde child. **"The silver haired one is correct. There is something I must ask of you, but before we get to that, I must request a favor."**

"What is it?" If the Sandaime was surprised by the Bijuu's politeness he certainly didn't show it.

 **"Before I can or will continue, those two cowering fools behind you must be taken care of first."** Crimson orbs flickered toward the figures petrified behind Sakumo's tall, masculine form.

Seeing that they were the one's whom the Kyuubi was referring to, the only two Chunin in the room passed out from fear onto the cold floor.

The Nine-Tailed Bijuu chuckled with satisfaction at seeing the reaction he caused. **"That was easy enough. However, make sure that their memories are wiped of all things to do with me and the girl. I can tell that they will have loose lips."**

Knowing that the last part was directed toward him, Hiruzen nodded in agreement. "It will be done." ' _I was going to do it anyways. These two don't look reliable in the least. How are they Chuunin?'_

Kurama nodded before resting on his haunches as he began to explain his purpose in appearing before them.

 **"There is a danger, far more dangerous than even I coming. It will wipe out this entire village and all the other countries until there is nothing left, but the dirt on which it once stood."** Kurama stated sharply, cutting directly to the chase. He had only a limited amount of time after all. **'** _ **So little time and so much to do.'**_

Stone-shocked at the sudden, blunt revelation, the three S-ranked shinobi stood appalled, unsure how to answer.

Clearing his suddenly dry throat, Hiruzen finally spoke with a hint of skepticism. "How do you know this?"

Kurama's crimson, slit-like eyes grew hard as they focused on the four tense ninja. **"When I was taken from the red headed one, the seal allowed me a glimpse into the distant future. I foresaw my own and my brothers impeding doom."** Not exactly the whole truth, but close enough. Improvisation at its finest.

"Someone killed you and the other Bijuu?" Minato interjected with a shocked gasp.

 **"No, something far worse."** He closed his eyes for the moment and said gravelly as he locked gazes with each of them, **"I will reveal to you a secret that must not leave this room. Understood?"**

The four nodded hesitantly.

Kurama's eyes seemed to glaze over, losing himself in past memories of a time yet to come. Images passed in front of him of battles against the Snake Sannin, against Madara, and the damned Akatsuki...

He spoke solemnly, **"When all nine Bijuu are gathered and contained within one living container, a creature of immense power is created. The Ten-Tailed Juubi."**

"This being is even more powerful than you?" Sakumo asked with a raised brow.

Kurama nodded reluctantly. How he loathed to admit his own weakness. **"Yes, its power greatly overwhelms my own."**

"Is this the danger you're speaking off?" Minato inquired with narrowed cerulean orbs.

 **"No, the man, who will bring forth its creation, is the true enemy."**

Sarutobi sighed heavily as he interjected with a grave voice. "Alright, if what you say is the truth, then you must know who it is. So tell us who is the enemy you are referring to?"

The Nine-Tailed Bijuu stood up abruptly and began to pace across the room with agitation in his step. **"A damn bastard who is the bane of my existence! Uchiha Madara!"** Kurama snarled angrily with clear disdain in his tone.

The four conscious shinobi looked among one another in complete surprise, obviously not having expected such an answer from the immortal creature. That was until the Hokage exploded in fiery shock.

"What!? That's not possible, he is dead!" Hiruzen retorted vehemently.

The orange furred Bijuu shook his head. His crimson orbs narrowed to snake-like slits of pure unadulterated hatred **. "No, he is not. I will never forget the man who first ensnared me with those cursed eyes. He was there in my vision. He wishes to use our powers for his own selfish goals."**

"All of this is madness! How do we know you're even telling the truth?" The Sandaime Hokage ran his hands roughly through his thinning, brown hair.

He knew it had all had to be a farce. What the beast was spewing were ideas so farfetched, it was almost laughable. He could feel a mad laugh on the tip of his tongue at the thought.

A creature who had been imprisoned for almost a century wouldn't be so forthcoming with such information if it was actually true. A prisoner would always try to break free from their chains of oppression after all and seek revenge on their jailers.

Kurama t'ch in distaste at seeing the panicking Hokage. **"Believe what you wish, humans. If you do not heed my words, you will soon regret it. I will not allow myself to be captured by that bastard once again."**

 _ **'To think I, the once feared Harbinger of death and destruction, reduce to helping save the very lives of the ones who had help keep me imprisoned inside ramen obsessed women.'**_

Oh, the irony of it all...

While the orange, long eared fox demon was wallowing in his woes, the Sandaime Hokage, God of Shinobi, was plagued with his own thoughts.

Things that had been permanent and unquestionable were suddenly thrown into doubt. He could feel a great weight burden his already cumbersome shoulders by the sheer magnitude of what all this could mean if it were true.

His plaguing thoughts were running rampant, and Hiruzen forced himself to calm down with deep breaths after noticing how his own unease was causing increasing worry in his two Jonin.

 _'Then again... The Kyuubi hadn't asked for his freedom, instead what he's telling us is just a warning of something to come. Something more powerful than even him, the greatest of all Bijuu. Could it be he is telling the truth after all?'_

Once he had managed to compose himself again, he gave the sneering Bijuu a stern gaze before saying, "Alright, if we are to believe you. How do we stop this? How soon into the future will this come true?"

Crimson eyes narrowed thoughtfully at the more serene looking man. He had seemed to finally find his equilibrium once again.

A part of him wanted to forget asking the humans for help after seeing how weak willed they were when facing the unknown, but he knew just how capable and powerful they could be given the right motivation.

 **"In this vision, I saw the girl, who now contains me, to be in her adult years. She is the one to help save your pathetic village from destruction."** Kurama chose to give them the timeline that he knew best, and given Naruto's current age she would be much older than her seventeen year old counterpart. That is if Madara didn't change his plans too much from their meddling.

Minato couldn't help glancing at the unconscious blonde child in disbelief. "Her?"

The Bijuu already knew what was running through the teens's head. He was still surprised to see how far back they had managed to arrive. That damned Namikaze couldn't be any older than fifteen by his looks.

Kurama wanted to scoff at the boy's skepticism, but he really couldn't blame him for it. Naruto did look pretty pathetic in the state she was in now.

 **"That is correct. She may not look like much right now, but with proper training she will be strong enough to prevent the future that I saw from coming true."**

Kurama frowned when he saw the doubt begin to resurface on the men's faces once again. He knew he had to win them over even if he was loath to side with humans. It was unavoidable if he wanted to finally take down the bastard Uchiha and that damned Black Zetsu.

 **"If you do not wish our help, very well. I will make my container strong enough to protect herself by myself, and we will leave this place."** He really didn't want to do that, the girl would be unbearable.

If they were to leave, things would fall apart quickly, and the war would happen as it once had before. The timeline wouldn't be changed and that cursed man would inevitably win just as he almost won before.

That didn't, however, mean that he wouldn't try to minimize the damage, though.

"Hold on a second! This seal doesn't allow for you to take full possession of her! You can't force her to do what you want!" Minato quickly interjected with a raised fist in a so utterly familiar fashion. Kurama idly wondered who Naruto took more after, if both her parents acted so similarly on some occasions.

He smirked at what the blond man had just said. It seemed the sealing idiot had just given him the opening he needed to finalize the deal.

 **"No, it does not, but she has also seen what is coming. She will listen to me even if none of you do."** He tried to hide the satisfaction in his voice, he really did.

Sakumo perked up at this and asked aloud, "What do you mean she has seen it?"

 **"The vision was shared between the two of us. Now you blond one, you were always with the red head even as an infatuated boy from what I remember from being sealed within her, correct?"** Kurama turned toward a abruptly flustered Minato.

The blond teen blushed at the sudden question. "Ah, how do you know that?"

 **"I can see what my container does. This new seal however, allows me the manipulation of my chakra outside of it. That is how I am here now."** The Bijuu replied flatly.

A flash of understanding hit the young sealing master.

"Oh, I get it now. You're not the actual Kyuubi, but a manifestation of him, an extension so to say. That also explains why you're so small." The last part Minato mumbled quietly to himself. Though, Kurama still heard him.

 _ **'If I was in my original form, I'd squash you like a bug monkey bastard...'**_

He bite back a sarcastic remark that was on the tip of his tongue, instead he chose to stay on topic even though he was loathe to do so. **"Yes, as I was saying, you may understand best the capabilities of a person who contains one such as I, and the only one now to know what else this seal does."**

A somber expression crossed Minato's features at the reminder. He had almost forgotten about that little aspect of the seal. The poor girl to be saddled with such a fate at such a young age. "If you're referring to the soul binding, then yes, I understand."

Hiruzen, Sakumo, and Taiga looked on intrigued by the conversation between the pair.

"What is he speaking of Namikaze-san?" The elder Hatake asked politely. He hardly knew the younger man. By reputation only was all Sakumo knew of the famed prodigy of Jiraiya the Sannin, but it was enough to know that the teenager before him was gifted in the sealing arts.

A sigh escaped Minato as he answered. "When I was examining the seal, there was a section of it that attaches the host and prisoner for all eternity by their souls." He glanced at the sleeping child with pity in his eyes.

"When this girl dies and her chakra stops supplying the seal, then the Kyuubi will die with her, unable to ever reform again."

Minato ran a rough hand through his messy hair in slight disbelief. "This seal is powered by the Shinigami, the Shiki Fuin. The entire seal is a masterpiece of Fuinjutsu. Whoever did this is an absolute genius."

 _ **'This idiot is pretty much bragging about himself. It's almost as if he knows he's the one behind it.'**_ Kurama thought sourly.

The Sandaime nodded slowly, taking in the information. "So what you're saying is that if this girl dies so does the Kyuubi?"

The blond nodded. "That is correct. However, he can still be extracted from within her. So I imagine it was set as a final resort."

Kurama couldn't help but nod amicably at this. **"Precisely. As you can see, I am not a threat to you tree-huggers. I merely wish to ensure the survival of my kin and I."** Really had he stooped so low as to be nice to these flesh-bags.

 _ **'I disgust myself, but... this is for the greater good. Remember, this is all to stop and completely annihilate the Uchiha bastard.'**_

"Well, he did save my comrade's lives and my life, so I'm all for taking his warning as serious. And he hasn't done anything to gain our mistrust so far anyways." Sakumo said with a small nod, oblivious to the Kyuubi's inner struggle.

Minato agreed with the older man. "He can't possibly gain anything for lying or fabricating all this besides what he said earlier. It just sounds like self-preservation to me. There's nothing wrong with that after all. It's the nature of all things."

While Taiga chose to stay quiet on the matter, Minato and Sakumo turned their eyes toward the pensive, silent Hokage. They had already made their decision regarding the matter.

Hiruzen was left in a mental shock. It wasn't like him to be so indecisive, especially ever since he took the mantle of Hokage from his late sensei.

Looking at both his expecting Jonin discretely, he knew they weren't going to budge on the matter once they made up their minds to help the orange furred Bijuu.

He sighed heavily as he asked the final question bothering him. "If what you say is true, what guarantee do we have that in the future you won't turn on us?"

The Bijuu rose an eyebrow. **"I have no desire to rule over humanity. It would be too much of a hassle. With that said..."** Kurama replied with a shake of his head before continuing with a more serious tone.

 **"I am a creature of my word. My vow to you weaklings will be to not turn on you or your pathetic village, so long as you do not endanger my container nor I."**

Hiruzen crossed his arms with a reserved expression. A wall of silence surrounded them. His brown orbs stared out onto the peaceful village outside the window like a gambler calculating his odds.

Turning his attention back to the Bijuu, Sarutobi made his decision, consequences be damned. He would face whatever fate had to throw at him.

His village and his shinobi would always stand strong after all. It was in their nature.

Their Will of Fire.

"Very well. Konoha shall aid you in whatever we can to prevent this future from happening." Determination rang clear in Hiruzen's voice.

Kurama's shoulders slumped in relief at the final answer. He hadn't noticed how tense he had been the entire time until they finally agreed to help.

 **"Well if it's any reassurance, I have already changed something."**

Hiruzen rose a brow. "Oh and what was that?"

Crimson orbs flickered to the masked silver haired shinobi.

 **"The survival of one Hatake Sakumo."**

A stunned silence fell upon them.

An audible, harsh swallow was clearly heard in the deathly silent hospital room.

"You mean... on that mission, I was suppose to die?" Sakumo asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

Kurama nodded. **"Something like that, yes, and that mission failed previously as well. Congratulations on more years of living flesh-bag."**

"Well I'll be damned..." The silver haired man muttered softly under his breath before meeting the Bijuu's red gaze. "You have my thanks then, I'm in your debt." He finished to say with a low bow.

Kurama was startled at the display of respect the masked man was showing him. He was even more shocked when the clearly Uchiha man next to him bowed as well. Gods... he really hated them...

"I realize that you hold a hatred for my ancestor, but if that mission had failed and Sakumo died then it is most likely that I perished alongside him. I am in your debt as well. If you have ever a need for an Uchiha, I will gladly join your side." Taiga bowed low as well. It was obvious to all that the fox had no love for his family.

"I'm going to need a stiff drink after this." Hiruzen grumbled as he rubbed his temples tiredly.

Minato chuckled ruefully. "I'll join you."

"I as well." Sakumo chimed in with a small, humorless laugh as he rose to his full height.

"Count me in." Taiga sighed heavily, the past days weariness finally catching up to him.

Kurama's crimson eyes flickered around the four men in confusion, before sensing the strain on his corporeal body as his chakra was slowly being pulled back toward the seal.

 **"Being outside the seal like this drains me after some time. So until I've recovered my strength, I will not be able to communicate with you monkeys unless it's through the girl."** He stated abruptly, interrupting the slightly manic looking men.

"Understood." Hiruzen spoke more calmly than he had earlier.

Just as the last of his chakra remained, Kurama left some final parting words of advice. **"Before I go, humans, there is one final thing. When this girl wake's up, she will not remember much of her past."**

Four sets of brows rose in surprise.

"Um... What will she remember?" Minato asked, unsure of what to make of the statement.

Sakumo could see that the Bijuu was turning more and more transparent, time was running out. He quickly asked what he had been wondering ever since he found the young blonde child.

"Hey, you only refer to her as _'the girl',_ do you not know her name?"

Kurama glanced curiously between the man before deeming it safe to respond somewhat honestly. **"She will remember the visions to the future, but anything of her past is a blank. I can tell you that her family is dead and her name is Namikaze Naruto, Naru for short."**

 _ **'Looks like the brat is going to have to get used to being called by that childish nickname she hated.'**_ The orange furred Bijuu thought sadistically. ' _ **Oh sweet revenge...'**_

"N-Namik-kaze?" Minato stuttered in astonishment, but the Nine-Tailed demon had already fully merged with the seal once again, leaving four incredibly confused men to ponder on his words for the time being.

* * *

 **A/N: REWRITTEN!**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **Until next time dear readers!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Old Man Time**

" _Time present and time past_

 _Are both perhaps present in time future_

 _And time future contained in time past."_

― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

* * *

The view was beautiful.

Thousands of stars illuminating the ebony, night sky. The moon at the peak of its light, completely filled. Light and darkness intertwined in perfect harmony.

The luminous full moon shone its evanescent light down onto the most feared shinobi village, Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It illuminated a certain silver haired Jonin's path home.

Yet, the beauty of the night lost to him as he was too engrossed in his thoughts to pay attention to his surroundings, almost running into his homes' front door if it hadn't been opened by a young boy with similar hair.

"Dad? You're home earlier than you said. How was your mission?"

The sudden childish voice disrupted Sakumo from his turbulent thoughts. Seeing his confused and obviously sleepy five year old in front of him, he felt a large drop of sweat gather by his brow before he suddenly looked around, and realized he had arrived at his house.

No doubt he had made enough noise clambering up his old wooden steps to rouse his son from sleep.

"Oh, hey there Kakashi, didn't mean to wake you. The mission went fine, but it's certainly one I won't be forgetting anytime soon." The Jonin muttered the last part more to himself dryly as the memory of the orange furred Bijuu telling him he was suppose to have died replayed in his mind.

A thin, silver brow rose in confusion at the change in tone.

"How come?", Kakashi asked as he tried to rub away the tiredness from his eyes, hoping to wake up enough to talk to his father properly.

A nervous chuckle left his lips as he stepped inside his home. "Maa, I'll tell you about it later. I'm beat, and I can hear both our beds calling for us."

He climbed the stairs up toward his room with his tiny clone trailing behind him.

Sakumo sighed deeply, walking through the halls of his home his forefathers had built for his family and their descendants. The familiar worn, mahogany floors and cream colored walls were making him feel nostalgic all of a sudden.

Once again absorbed in his thoughts, he barely caught Kakashi's small form yawning by his bedroom doorway, "Alright dad, good night. See ya in the morning."

A fond smile curved on the Jonin's lips. "Sleep well, son."

When he could hear Kakashi's deep, even muffled breaths through the walls, Sakumo let out an amused chuckle as he stripped out of his smoke scented clothing as he recalled the boys' sleep attire.

 _'Still sleeping with that mask on. Such an odd boy... How on earth did he ever turn out like that? Oh, who knows... Kashi's always been special. My own little cute genius son.'_

After taking a quick hot shower, Sakumo redressed himself for sleep.

As he got himself comfortable in his bed, the man couldn't help the morbid and depressing thought of what would have become of his little boy if he hadn't returned from that mission to cross his mind.

 _'I owe the Kyuubi, and that little girl as well, more than I could ever hope to repay...'_

As he laid there wrapped snugly in his dark gray bed sheets, the White Fang of the Leaf let his mind drift to the memory of a blonde child with whiskered cheeks.

 _'Naruto... What a peculiar name for a girl... A Namikaze on top of that too. What are the odds?'_

Letting the last traces of tension leave his body, the elder Hatake welcomed the warm embrace of slumber. He had been desperately craving it once the events of the past few days had finally caught up to him.

Sleep. That's what he wanted most.

 _'Talk about a hell of a day...'_

* * *

"This is so weird." Naruto muttered.

The young blonde was referring to the moving pictures and sounds of the world outside her mind which were playing before her on what looked like a movie curtain.

Kurama had somehow managed to create a large screen which displayed what was happening outside her body to play in-front of his cage. She watched in bemusement what appeared to be a much younger Sandaime Hokage and her father fluttering in and out of her room with herds of nurses and doctors over the course of the next few days.

Though she never did see Kakashi's father, the curiosity to see the man was driving her crazy.

It was bittersweet to see her surrogate grandfather and father again, even if they looked much younger than when she knew and met them in her own time. Her father especially shocked her. He was damn teenager!

In one particular scene, she watched anxiously as the Hokage confirmed the new familial relation between her and her unknowing once-father. She could clearly see the disbelief that crossed his face at the result. The old man left him alone afterwards to his thoughts.

It was a bit unnerving to see the uncertainty quickly morph into sheer joy a few minutes later.

After that, he hardly ever left her hospital room, which she no longer shared with her mother since she had been moved, who was technically no longer her biological mother thanks to a certain meddling fox.

The only time Minato left was to go check up on Kushina or go home to rest and shower before coming back.

Well, appeared that way at least.

He always seemed more refreshed when he returned after a couple of hours of being gone. Minato was quite devoted to keeping her sleeping self company whenever he could. He even to talked to her sometimes about the most inane things to pass the time. She learned more about him asleep than she ever did when she was awake.

Apparently, he was never called for missions either, but that was probably due to the Hokage wanting to make sure he was around when she finally woke up. The old man was considerate like that.

As well, her blond future father, which from what she understood from the conversation he had earlier with the old man, was no longer biological father either. According to the blood work, he was her long, lost half-brother. Kurama really did a number on her biology.

When her thoughts turned to her orange furred friend, a fiery rage burned through her.

Naruto was still quite angry at the fact her partner had decided to tell them already who she was. That's not even taking into account he told them she preferred that stupid, girly nickname! ' _Lousy traitor...'_

"You're a real bastard you know that?" She said loudly with more bite in her tone, trying to get a rise out of the demon.

The fox nodded absentmindedly, casting off her bitter words with a shrug, never taking his eyes off the colorful screen. The new modified seal was absolutely amazing.

 **"I believe I have heard you say something along those lines before."**

A tick mark grew in irritation on her brow at the clear disinterest in his deep voice. "What all did you tell them?", she asked for what seemed like the tenth time, and each time he would never answer clearly.

 **"Only what was necessary."**

A cry of frustration escaped her as she threw her hands up into the air in exasperation. "That doesn't tell me anything!"

For the next several minutes, though it seemed more like an eternity for a certain Bijuu, the blonde went into quite a tirade of curses and violent promises. All of which Kurama tuned out, preferring to watch the playing screen.

When the door opened and several new voices called out in greeting in the hospital room, the Bijuu's interest was peaked. Curious, the fox let small tendrils of his chakra to filter into the air and scanned the newcomers.

 _ **'This chakra... So they have finally arrived...'**_

Kurama knew it was time to get the ball rolling once again.

 **"Brat, it's time you've woken up. There are people who want to meet you."**

Naru stopped mid-rant to turn toward the screen, and watched in fascination as two of the last people she had ever expected to meet so soon in this time entered her hospital room.

"What's _he_ doing here?!"

Sensing no negative emotions from the one in question, the Bijuu searched through his memories about his current time-line.

 **"From what I remember, he didn't turn traitor until your blond-haired, monkey father was chosen as Fourth Hokage over him."**

Naruto stiffened at the news. She hadn't known the Snake Sannin had been considered for the position of Hokage, much less that he was overlooked for her own father.

Seemed like they had quite the history. Now that bitterness whenever he had talked to her made more sense.

"Well that doesn't matter, he still a bad guy. What do we do about him? I won't let him get a hold of Sasuke this time!"She responded with conviction.

Kurama shrugged unconcerned, **"Kill him then. I don't particularly care. In the larger scope of things, he was but a small pest compared to the others."**

Naruto had nothing to say to that. It was true. Orochimaru was nothing, but a side note whenever Akatsuki, Madara, and Black Zetsu began full on their Eye of the moon plan.

She pondered this new predicament of hers for a few moments until an idea came to mind.

"Well, he hasn't done anything yet... Maybe we can prevent him from turning traitor and doing all those experiments on people?" She asked with slight reluctance in her tone. Well it killed her to admit it, the Snake Sannin had been powerful and she could only imagine the possibilities if he had remained on their side. The war might have never happened!

With a sigh, Kurama nodded placatingly, he would never understand that side of the girl. The one that looked for the good in all people. **"Do what you wish brat. We'll discuss this later. It's time you've finally done your part in all this."**

When Kurama saw that only Minato remained in the room, Naruto suddenly felt an all too recognizable tug from behind as if she had been snagged by some invisible rope. She was abruptly yanked back violently into the darkness. The fur-ball actually did it.

"No dammit! Kurama! When I get back, I'm kicking your furry ass!"

 _ **'Still as feisty as ever, just like her mother... Damn Uzumaki's.'**_

* * *

The blonde girl, who had been ejected from her own mindscape, her haven, wearily blinked her eyes open. Wincing, when she managed to stare directly into the ceiling light hanging above her.

She clenched her cerulean eyes shut again in hopes of lessening the sudden burning pain, and perhaps prolong the upcoming conversation she desperately wanted to avoid for as long as possible. As long as no one realized she had woken up, then there will be no problems.

Yet, the other occupant of her room had already caught her awaken state. If the gasp of surprise that rang out whenever her eyes had flashed open momentarily were anything to go by.

 _'Stupid lights...'_

* * *

She was wake.

When her little body had moved slightly from under the blanket covers, he first thought he had imagined it. Then he saw them, even if had been for only a brief moment.

It had plagued him for days as he watched over her. ' _What color were her eyes?'_

He had daydreamed that they were just like his. His wish had come true.

Crystal, oceanic eyes blinked wide open before shielding away from the light. A shade of cerulean he had only ever seen on himself.

"Naru-chan?" Minato called out softly.

* * *

Dread filled her when she heard that accursed name.

So it had finally begun. Her eternal humiliation.

She tried to hold back the cringe at the title, but it was unavoidable. It was so girly! Thankfully, her "Half-brother" hadn't noticed.

 _'Kurama, you're such a sadistic bastard. I really hate you sometimes.'_

 **"Hate you too, brat."**

 _'Ass.'_

 **"Idiot."**

Knowing there was no use in prolonging the inevitable, Naruto pushed herself up on her forearms and met the awed gaze of the blond Jonin with a feigned confused one of her own.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Her voice hoarse since she hadn't physically spoken in such a long time.

It was time to see how good of an actress she really was. She hoped for all their sakes, she could pull this off.

* * *

Her voice had a rough silvery quality to it. It was very appealing and Minato absentmindedly noted that it matched her pretty features even if it did sound hoarse.

Getting over his slight shock at hearing her speak, he poured her a cup of water from a jar next to her bed and offered it to her.

He replied as calmly as possible as to not alarm her as she drank greedily from the cup, "I am Namikaze Minato, and you are in the hospital in Konohagakure of Fire Country. Do you know where that is?"

He noticed the slight apprehension in her when he asked the question. He wondered if she even remembered her own name. Only one way to find out.

"Can you tell me your full name, Naru-chan?"

A frown marred her tan, whiskered cheeks as she placed the cup back on the night stand next to the jar.

"Um, the fur-ball said my name was Naruto, Namikaze Naruto."

She was looking upset now, but he figured it was probably from the strange situation she had woken up in. If only he knew...

"Fur-ball?" Surprise and bafflement laced his baritone voice.

 _'She couldn't possibly be referring to-'_

"Yeah, you know. The giant, orange fox that was talking to me a little while ago before I woke up and saw you." Naruto explained more cheerfully than earlier, seemingly ignorant of the significance of her words.

 _'No, scratch that she was.'_

A bead of sweat formed on his brow. "Oh, I see. You mean the Kyuubi. He was speaking to you. Could you tell me what he said?"

The little blonde nodded. "He said a lot of things. Mostly about how some bad people locked him up inside me or something like that. He started saying big words and it got pretty boring."

The complete disrespect toward the Bijuu was astonishing to say the least.

Minato had to choke back the laughter that was about to escape his twitching lips. She had quite the interesting personality.

Trying to retain his professionalism, the Jonin inquired, "Do you remember anything about that or anything before then?" While the Bijuu had said she wouldn't, it was best to make sure.

She tilted her head to the side in a cute manner and held a petite finger to her chin in a thinking pose before shaking her head. She was so cute!

"Umm... No, I can't really remember anything. It's just a blank. All I can remember is waking up to seeing a big, fluffy fox with cute bunny ears. Though when I tried to hug him, he got all mad and started yelling at me. Kurama is super loud, let me tell ya." She finished saying with a pout.

The laugh this time could not be stifled.

His new little sister had just referred to the greatest of all Bijuu as fluffy and with cute bunny ears. It was too much. She was just too adorable.

* * *

Payback is oh-so-sweet.

 _'Take that, fuzzball! No one messes with Naruto Uzumaki or Namikaze and gets away with it!'_

Silence.

Her faithful partner hadn't responded with his usual quip or smartass comment. A tiny part of her was terrified at the implication.

 _'Oh no, this is bad. He's pissed... I'm screwed...'_

Well you reap, what you sow.

* * *

Naruto waited until Minato had found his breath before resuming the conversation. She mentally applauded herself for how well her performance was going. It helped when she knew how to already make a mask to hide her true thoughts and feelings.

"So, are we like family or something? Cause we both got the same last name." A small fraction of her died as she said those words. This was it. The door to her past was firmly shut. No going back... This was her present now and her past will not become her future!

"Yes, we are actually. We're siblings, though I couldn't tell you from whose side of the family." Minato responded with a tiny smile. It was too bad she didn't remember her family. She could have told him if it was her mother or father who was the blond with cerulean eyes, then the greatest mystery of his life could finally be solved.

His own pair of cerulean eyes soften with fondness as he looked at the little blonde sitting before him. ' _It's still so hard to believe that I have family now.'_

That's when it dawned on the young Jinchuuriki the severity of what Kurama had done to her. She wasn't Naruto Uzumaki anymore. That was another her from another time.

That sneaky little...

 _Namikaze Naruto._

So that's why he had done that.

The old fox had changed her name against her wishes to help her acclimate and acknowledge the difference between her and her past self. The Uzumaki Naruto of her future self had died in that cave when she showed up here in this present time.

She felt tears pool at the corners of her eyes. They streamed down unwilling and unable to stop.

The salty liquid alarmed Minato greatly as he quickly hurried to her side. "What's the matter? Are you hurting?"

It took her several moments to compose herself and respond. She looked up and gazed at the blond Jonin's worried expression with a watery smile on her face.

"I'm fine. I'm just... glad to know I have family here. I was scared I wouldn't have anyone. I didn't want to be alone."

 _'It's true and a lie at the same time... I've never lied to him before...'_

Hearing her self-loathing, Kurama spoke up before she could compromise their mission.

 **"No, you're not being completely dishonest. Bending the truth is necessary here, remember that."**

 _'You're right. Thanks I needed that.'_

 **"Anytime kid."**

Ignorant of the internal conversation between the Bijuu and blonde, Minato responded to Naruto's heartfelt words with a sad smile. "Yeah, I would be too. It must be even more frightening not remembering your past as well."

Focusing back on the man, Naruto shook her head, wiping the lingering tears away with the sleeve of her white hospital gown.

"Kurama, told me it was better if I didn't remember. He said it would save me the pain." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

 _'Save her the pain? The Kyuubi must really have seen something special in her.'_

Minato frowned sadly at her words. He decided to divert the subject to safer waters.

"Kurama?", the blond asked with a raised brow. That was twice she mentioned the name.

"Yeah, it's the fox's name."

Minato was surprised to hear that the ancient chakra creature had an actual name. He was going to say more when his eyes strayed to an old brown clock hanging on the adjacent wall and realized the time. "Well, it's nice to have a name to a face now. So Naru-chan, I'm going to go for a second and get someone I know would like to meet you. I'll be back soon okay?"

He really didn't want to part from her, yet he had to inform his Hokage of his young sister's awakening, plus get the others. If his sensei and his sensei's team-mate had waited a few minutes longer than they would have met the girl too.

"Sure, take your time Minato-nii." Naruto replied with a grin bright enough to grow an entire garden full of roses and lilies.

Then that's when it finally hit him.

He felt time freeze in place as he gazed upon her smiling figure.

 _'Big brother?'_

A smile full of hope and joy bloomed unknowingly on his slightly tan face as he flashed away with a two fingered salute to his forehead.

* * *

It felt so odd to call her father big brother. Yet, she had to get used to it sooner or later. It would be even more strange if she had called him dad or something like that.

He didn't look any older than fifteen for heaven's sake!

 _'Yo! Kurama, you forgive me yet?',_ she thought with amusement dancing in her oceanic eyes trying to cast aside her troubling thoughts.

 **"Shut it, brat. Don't think you'll be easily forgiven for that blasphemy you were spewing earlier."**

 _'Well, if you can't take the heat, don't play with fire jerk! You started it anyway!'_ Naruto retorted in defense.

Kurama snorted haughtily. **"Whatever flesh-bag, at the very least your monkey _brother_** **bought the whole amnesia thing. He more than likely went to inform the Hokage about your awakening."**

The blonde six year old nodded in agreement. ' _Yeah, I bet.'_ She paused and then asked, ' _Would you be able to come out of the seal today? It'll be easier if you were present.'_

Crimson orbs narrowed thoughtfully as the fox demon pondered the question. **"I can, however I will not be able to remain for long just as last time."**

 _'Is there anyway to fix that?'_

A sigh escaped orange furred Bijuu. " **I've been thinking it over and the only possible solution I see is if I take control of a shadow clone. It requires less chakra than having to maintain a corporeal form myself."**

An elated grin spread across whiskered cheeks.

 _'Okay, I can make you one right now!'_ She quickly sat up properly on her bed, and brought hands up in a cross hand sign.

 **"No, stop idiot. You're a six year who has no memories remember? When the tree-huggers get back, tell one of them to do it or else you'll blow our whole cover!"** Kurama interrupted with a fierce growl.

 _'Ugh, fine. I seriously hate being so limited in this body dattebayo!',_ the blonde answered indignantly.

The Bijuu shrugged uncaring, before narrowing his eyes sharply at the girl. **"That reminds me. Watch that infernal verbal tick. It'll make things complicated if they accidentally hear you say it. They'll likely link it to Kushina and ask questions."**

She grimaced at the thought. ' _You have a point. I'll try, but I can't control it sometimes. It just happens!'_

The orange furred fox shook his head as he said, **"** **It isn't as bad as your mothers. You only tend to say it when you get too emotional. So keep a cool head at all times."**

 _'Yeah, yeah. Man, I'm starving! I can't wait to get out of here and get some ramen! It's been forever!'_ Naruto gripped, her thoughts straying from the current conversation when her stomach growled abruptly in hunger.

 **"Stop thinking with your stomach idiot! There are more important matters to focus on!"** Kurama snarled in response, his anger starting to rise up at the blonde's random bouts of idiocy.

 _'I know already... But I am hungry.'_ She mentally pouted as she drooled at the thought of a hot, steaming bowl of miso ramen. ' _Oh, this is agony!'_

Just as Kurama was about to give a harsh retort, a yellow flash appeared in the room at the foot of the bed.

He'd finally returned, with more than one guest than expected.

Wide oceanic eyes blinked in confusion and awe at the men standing before her.

 _'Jiji... He looks so much younger in person. He reminds me a lot of Asuma and Konohamaru.'_ Naru fought back the tears that prickled at the corners of her eyes.

It was so different to see the elder man she loved so dearly in-front of her healthy and whole, most importantly alive, than instead of a screen image. He was so young compared to his wrinkly, sixty year old self. He must have been at least 45 by her guess.

Knowing her derailing thoughts, Kurama tried to help her keep her composure. **"They are related. Of course, they'll be similarities between them. Don't start reminiscing brat!"**

Though it seemed the blonde was already too lost in her memories...

 _'And pervy sage too... He looks even younger! Thirty at least!'_ The tears were getting harder to get rid off.

Sighing, the old fox demon knew it was going to be a chore to get her out of her nostalgia. Yet, he couldn't fault her for it.

 **"Yes, it is somewhat unnerving to see their younger selves once again**." Kurama mused half heartedly as he glanced from within the seal at the gobsmacked white haired man.

Abruptly, Naruto's pleasant thoughts turned toward darker routes.

 _'Then there's him. He looks like an actual human being, but I didn't want him to know about me just yet. What do we do?'_

Nine-tails swished in displeasure as Kurama shared her feelings on the matter.

 **"Leave that to me kid, inform your _brother_** __ **I require a shadow clone."**

Naruto broke her three-way staring contest to turn her attention toward a beaming Minato.

"Minato-nii, Kurama wants you to make a shadow clone for him. Whatever that is." She added the last bit as an afterthought. Playing the naive child was harder this time around with so much at stake.

Minato's smiled faltered at the sudden request. "A shadow clone?"

"Kurama?" Hiruzen and Jiraiya asked simultaneously, while the other man in the room simply raised a brow.

Ignoring the question, the blond Jonin directed his attention toward his young relative. "What does he need the shadow clone for Naru-chan?"

"He says it's so he can talk to you guys longer outside in person."

Getting an idea as to what the Kyuubi was planning to do, Minato did as request and a doppelganger popped into existence beside him in a puff of white smoke.

Red chakra immediately leaked from out of Naruto's stomach and enveloped the clone. The tension rose as the shinobi stood on edge, waiting for whatever the Bijuu had prepared.

Another cloud of chakra smoke emerged and when it cleared a completely different person was standing next to the blond Jonin.

A shocked gasp left the startled six year old girl. She was awestruck at the new appearance.

Her eyes were glued to a tanned face with three whisker marks on each cheek. A lean, but unmistakably strong body stood before her with a pair of frighteningly familiar slitted, crimson orbs and spiked orange hair, the same shade as a certain Bijuu's fur coat.

Overall the man looked like a red-eyed, orange-haired version of Minato without the front bangs framing his face.

"Kurama!?" If the Bijuu was annoyed at Naruto's outburst, he was doing a great job at hiding it.

The rest of the shinobi in the room were stupefied at the figure slouching against the wall where Minato's clone had once stood.

"Wh-What happened to my shadow clone?" The blond asked with wide eyes.

The orange haired man glanced with little interest at the men in the room, a lazy look in his eye.

 **"It would be easier for you monkeys to address me properly if I didn't resemble you. This is just a simple transformation. The human appearance is just for securities sake. You never know who might be watching or listening."** Kurama answered in a still deep tone, but no where near as booming and cascading as it once had been. The Bijuu sounded like a regular human man.

It was the most bizarre thing any of them had seen. It was a bit disturbing to see how well the fox could imitate a human.

"What is the meaning of all this Minato? Who is this _'Kurama'_ you're all referring too?" Jiraiya spoke up sharply. His usually cheery voice had gained a dangerous edge to it.

The blond in question gulped nervously. "Um, well... Kurama is the Nine-Tailed Fox Bijuu. The seal allows him to use some of his chakra outside of the seal. It's not harmful to Naru-chan and the amount he can control is pretty harmless with how little it is." Minato quickly assured the man.

"Sarutobi-sensei, are you certain the Bijuu means us no ill-will?", the pale, snake-eyed man standing in front of the window spoke up with a slight hiss in his voice.

Hiruzen glanced briefly at the orange haired man with unease. "We don't have much of a choice, Orochimaru, but to trust Kurama to keep his word. So far he hasn't gained our mistrust nor our entire trust either." He stated through clenched teeth.

Kurama scoffed at the words. " **As much as I enjoy conversing with you weaklings, which I don't, my time is limited. It's best to get down to business. Now Hokage did you do as I asked concerning those two flesh-bags from earlier?"**

Hiruzen reluctantly nodded. He didn't like the tone of superiority the Bijuu was prone to using. "Yes, the Chuunin have had their memories wiped. As far as they know, they never left the village last week due to an illness."

Satisfied, Kurama turned his focus toward the gaping elder Namikaze.

 **"Blond monkey go retrieve the Hatake and Uchiha. It is best if they are present as well."**

Kurama had thought long and hard about the peculiar Uchiha. He reminded him of Itachi and Obito. If he was anything like the former and somehow related to the latter, he needed to keep a close eye on him.

Startled at the sudden demand, cerulean orbs flickered questioningly towards Hiruzen.

After getting a nod of agreement from the Hokage, Minato did as instructed and left using his signature jutsu. A silence fell upon the remaining people in the hospital room.

Naruto was finding it difficult to keep her emotions locked safely inside. She sat on her bed with her eyes downcast, picking at the loose threads of her blanket.

She had accepted that she was no longer in her own time, and that she was here now trying to save the future from the coming calamity and destruction that her own time had faced.

Yet, it was so hard to keep the tears bottled up as she averted the curious gazes of the men she had seen as her own grandfather and the teacher that became so dear to her, almost like the father she never got to properly meet.

Their deaths had been blows dealt directly to her heart. She had accepted her mistakes- her failures. And she was given the honor to protect them once again, to protect all those she held most precious.

Naruto vowed once more, that she would not fail this time or die trying- again. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. Dying the first time was pretty painful, she didn't think she would be able to manage a second time.

She paused in her thoughts when she felt her father's familiar signature back in the room. She looked up, her eyes widening as she did so.

Naru knew, from what the fox had said, that Kakashi and his dad looked very similar, but she wasn't prepared to see the same mop of gravity defying silver hair and no mask hiding an incredibly good-looking, masculine face!

 _'Now I'm really starting to wish I had seen what Kakashi-sensei looked like without his stupid mask!'_

Because if he resembled his father...

Her face burned at the thought. She knew was blushing, probably redder than a tomato. It only got worse when Minato and the silver haired man looked at her curiously with concern. The other four watched on curiously.

Well not Kurama. She could almost swear she heard the fur-ball snickering in the back of her mind.

"Naru-chan, are you feeling okay? You're looking a little red there. Do you have a fever?" Minato asked worriedly, on the verge of going to grab the first nurse he came across.

Breaking out of her daze, Naruto nodded quickly and averted her gaze away from them in embarrassment.

Hiruzen chuckled at the girls' antics, the tension leaving his shoulders as he did so. He shared an amused glance with Jiraiya who had also caught onto what had the young blonde blushing.

A notepad was in his hand and the towering man was writing away with a disturbing gleam in his eye.

The Sandaime knew his student was a pervert, but sometimes the degree to which he was left him a little unnerved.

 _'That idiot better not write so pedophile trash in his next book or else I will skewer him. Writing adult sex scenes is one thing, pedophilia is a completely different matter!'_

"Jiraiya." Hiruzen called out with a stern look on his face.

Knowing what was going through his sensei's mind, the white haired shinobi frowned, offended at the slight to his honor. "Don't be getting any weird ideas old man. It isn't what you think."

"It better not or else." Sarutobi muttered dryly before addressing the rest who were baffled at the pair's conversation, not understanding what was being said. Orochimaru did, but he chose to ignore it. His team-mate was a shamelessly fool after all. "Now that Sakumo and Taiga are here, what is it that you wished to say Kurama?"

The Bijuu's bemused red orbs turned deadly when he focused his attention on the Hokage.

 **"Before I say anything, I want the snake to get out of here."**

Minato, Sakumo, and Taiga frowned in confusion at the demand while Hiruzen and Jiraiya stiffened.

"Snake? Who are you talking about?" The Hatake questioned with a raised silver brow.

Crimson orbs narrowed down menacingly at the pale Sannin.

Seeing who the Kyuubi was glaring down, Hiruzen frown deepened and stepped in front of his student.

"Orochimaru is my student. He can be trusted."

 **"No. I will not associate myself with snakes. In addition, his presence is frightening the girl."**

All eyes turned toward the blonde child who could be seen casting wary glances at Orochimaru and shying away from his direction.

Knowing it was best to not argue seeing the child's reactions, the Sannin in question left the room wordlessly. His yellow orbs flickered with interest at the young blonde before closing the door behind him.

Minato was instantly at her side. "Naru-chan? Are you alright?"

She hid her anxiety and worry beneath feigned shyness. "I'm okay. It's just... I didn't like something about him. I got this really scary feeling from him."

It had been so long since she last had been exposed to it and it never felt as vile as it did then. It seemed the seal had heightened her latent sensory abilities.

Kurama nodded in wordless agreement to her assessment. The brat was finally starting to use her head.

 **"It was his chakra."** The orange haired Bijuu clarified. His sudden statement captivating the men.

"Chakra?" Jiraiya asked skeptically, still distrustful of the demon.

 **"As a Bijuu, I can sense the chakra of others and their emotions through that. Since the brat has me sealed within her, she can sense the chakra of others as well. In plain words, she's a highly-sensitive sensor."**

The village's most intelligent and perceptive shinobi nodded in understanding at the explanation and furthered intrigued by the possibilities this could mean.

Minato turned his attention toward the little blonde. "What about Orochimaru's chakra did you not like Naru-chan?"

A hand came up to rub at her neck before settling to play with a random loose strand of her blonde hair. "It felt... dirty. There was something bad about it."

 **"It was tainted."**

"Tainted you say? How so?" Hiruzen questioned sharply, his brown orbs serious.

 **"It would seem that the Snake has been doing something to blacken his soul. Chakra is one of the few gateway's to the soul after-all."**

Sarutobi could do nothing more but look at orange haired man with gritted teeth, knowing he was right. It was something he himself had started to notice over the last few months. His student had changed.

The Toad Sannin scowled at the Bijuu's words. His team-mate and him may not always get along, but that didn't mean he would allow anyone to say something ill about him.

"Now see here, Orochimaru may not be the nicest person or normal around, but he isn't-"

However, before Jiraiya could continue, Kurama cut him off abruptly.

 **"We can discuss how strange and vile your teammate is at a later time, monkey. Right now there are more important matters at hand."**

Minato, Sakumo, and Taiga merely looked between the two, trying to figure out just what all this meant.

An annoyed sigh slid past Kurama's lips as he regarded the men standing in the room before letting his crimson gaze fall upon the Sandaime Hokage.

 **"Now flesh-bag, tell me what is the current status?"**

Hiruzen blinked in surprise. "Status?" He had to make sure he heard that correctly.

 **"Are you at war or not?"**

"War? What makes you say that?" The elder Sarutobi scowled, unable to impede the flash of annoyance at the casual, almost lethargic way the human Bijuu questioned. War was no laughing matter.

 **"The vision was a like a movie with varying time lapses. The first was about a war where a young boy, a tree-hugger genin, was crushed when a caved collapsed by an Iwa shinobi. Later, then saved by that scum Madara, who used the boy as a tool for his purposes. "**

He paused until he was sure he had the man's attention. **"The first step in changing this outcome is to prevent Madara from getting his hands on that boy."**

Crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.

 **"So tell me, are you or are you not on the brink of war?"**

The numerous skirmishes that had suddenly started to escalate at their borders, and the empty threats that no longer seemed as such from Iwa and Kumo came to mind.

To this inquiry, Sarutobi could not deny. He closed his tired and weary eyes in an attempt to shake off the budding headache. A defeated, drawn out sigh escaped him.

"Yes, we are."

The remaining shinobi gaped in astonishment at the admission, staring incredulous at their leader. They had no idea things had started to get so bad between the hidden villages.

Jiraiya vaguely wondered if that was the reason why his old teacher had sent Sakumo and his team to stop that Suna contingent on their way to Iwa. It seemed that their enemies were already beginning to make their move.

A heavy silence fell around them. The shinobi lost in their wondering and growing sorrow at the prospect of the coming battles and loses.

The Sandaime Hokage could not prevent himself from reaching into his robe and taking out his favored pipe. Inhaling deeply, he unconsciously pulled his ceremonial robes even tighter to his body in an attempt to ward off the sudden chill. Despite there being no draft inside the hospital room.

Gathering his composure once again, Hiruzen diverted the conversation to something he had began to wonder.

"Kurama, what boy do you speak of?"

Orange haired Bijuu shrugged. **"Don't know, but he was an Uchiha with an active Sharigan."** Kurama answered as vaguely as possible locking eyes with Taiga. The previously relaxed man stiffened at the revelation, but he wasn't entirely surprised by it. It made sense that Madara would use an Uchiha to do his bidding.

This time it was Minato's turn to frown in thought. "It can't be as simple as saving one boy for the entire future to change?"

Kurama scoffed. **"Of course not, it will simply play better in our favor to have that boy on our side. In the final moments of the vision, the boy had grown up and became a man with great power. A power he used to capture the Bijuu and start a fourth world war."**

With that line of thought, his words were met with stunned silence.

Minato swallowed bitterly as he leveled a serious gaze at the humanoid Kyuubi. "So what else must be prevented then?"

Kurama's crimson orbs flickered momentarily toward the blond before settling toward the window. **"The Manipulation of the Mizukage."**

"Mizukage?!" All present in the room exclaimed in astonishment.

A sigh escaped the Bijuu as he watched the clouds effortlessly cross the azure sky. **"Yes, from what I understood from that particular part of the vision, Madara had the Third and Fourth Mizukage under a genjutsu. He was controlling them.**

The Hokage snuffed his pipe and fixed a strong look on to the orange haired bijuu. "When does this happen?"

 **"Can't really say, but it is highly probable that the Third Mizukage is already under his control."**

Hiruzen nodded slowly as he tried to remember the details concerning Kiri and their stance in the up-coming war. "At the moment, the Sandaime Mizukage is neutral in regards to the war. Tell me what all do you know of this war?"

 **"Iwa, Kiri, Kumo, Suna, and Konoha are all involved. Small nations do as well, but Amegakure is one you have to worry about the most."**

"Ame?" Jiraiya voiced with a frown marring his face. Rain plagued country was a touchy subject for him.

 **"Yes, there are three young teens from that nation who are one of the catalyst for the Fourth Shinobi war."**

The white haired Sannin took a step forward. "Who are they?" His tone deadly. If it was three teens in Ame than it could only mean...

Kurama momentarily paused in thought before answering, **"I don't know names, but of the three, one was a red headed boy with the eye's of the Sage."**

"Eye's of the Sage?" Minato questioned, but was ignored.

A wistful expression crossed Jiraya's face as he digested the words. "Nagato..." murmured the man in disbelief.

He rushed to ask, urgency clear in his voice. "Bijuu was one of them a girl with blue hair and the other a boy with orange spiky hair?"

Kurama narrowed his eyes at the man. **"Yes, how do you know that?"** Internally, he was relieved that the Toad Sannin quickly pieced together the clues he gave. Things were finally going to be set into motion.

"It's Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko! I'm sure of it!" Jiraiya exclaimed confidently.

Hiruzen frowned in thought. "You mean those kids you trained a few years ago?"

Flashes of distant memories of three children raced across his mind at the question. The white haired shinobi shook his head to clear his mind. It would do him no good to start drifting down memory lane right now.

"Yes, them! Nagato had the Rinnegan! I haven't heard from them in quite a while, but I'm sure that's who Kurama is talking about!"

"Would someone be kind enough as to explain what's going on?" Sakumo asked in an exasperated tone. He couldn't keep up with any of this dammit. They weren't making any damn sense!

No wait, it wasn't that they weren't making any sense. It was just that he wasn't informed of any of what they were discussing, so he wasn't able to keep up with what they were saying. ' _Who the hell was Nagato?'_

Taiga nodded in agreement. He was beyond confused.

"Sensei..." Minato softly said in confusion.

However, Jiraiya was oblivious to the outside world. His focus completely devoted to a single thought. "Old man, I must go to Ame immediately!"

Kurama nodded in agreement. **"That is a wise idea. The Rinnegan will be very valuable in the future. Madara manipulates the boy as well into capturing the Bijuu for him alongside that Uchiha boy."**

That was a sobering statement.

"Then go Jiraiya, bring those kids to Konoha back with you. If it is as Kurama says then it will be best to have them here in the village under our supervision and protection." Hiruzen gave his approval, but not before reminding his troublesome pupil. "Don't forget the opposition you'll probably face from Hanzo. Try and do this without that old war-hawk getting wind of this."

Jiraiya snorted. "Who do you think I am? I'll be in and out right from under their noses and no one will be none the wiser."

With those parting words, the Toad Sannin disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Noticing the tug from the seal, Kurama sighed warily. **"My chakra is starting to waver, there is one final thing I must inform you of that you need to know."**

Sakumo raised an inquiring brow. "What is it?"

 **"Be weary of a man with a scar in the shape of an X on his chin and a bandaged eye."**

Hiruzen frowned at this. "Are you speaking of Danzo?" Remembering the wounds his comrade had received in the last war.

Turning his attention to him, he said **, "I do not know names just physical features, but if it is who you believe it to be than yes. He is a Konoha nin that much I do know."** Kurama responded keeping to his decision of answering vaguely. However, he pointedly caught Taiga's eyes. By his wary expression, Kurama knew he got the message.

Cerulean orbs narrowed in suspicion. "Why do you not trust Danzo?" Minato asked.

 **"He is corrupt. His future actions drove Konoha to its ruin."**

At that statement, a sense of dread filled the Sandaime's heart. He clearly recalled the day his teammate had asked for the creation of his Root branch. An organization he was beginning to loathe.

"I understand. I will do as you say. My old comrade does have a darken heart. I've seen as much." Hiruzen's brown eyes grew more wearisome as he spoke. The leader of the Leaf seemed to have aged before their eyes.

Kurama gave a sharp nod at the tired looking Hokage. **"We will talk again later flesh bag. A reminder, do not share any information to that student of yours or this Danzo. The less people who know about the girls condition the better."**

Hiruzen forced his body to relax. He retained everything the human Bijuu had told him for future conversations. He had so many questions and things he wanted answered, but he knew that there will be a time and place for that. Now was not that time. "Agreed."

A pop could be heard and the humanoid Kyuubi was no longer with them in the room.

Sarutobi let out a sigh as he let his shoulder sag slightly. That conversation had taken more out of him than he had previously thought.

"So when can I get out of here?"

Naruto's sudden question, startled the shinobi who remained. They had completely forgotten she was in the room.

Minato sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he replied, "Just a couple more hours, Naru-chan."

A cute pout formed on her pink lips. "Aw man! This place is boring!"

"Don't worry Naru-chan, I'll be here to keep you company."

A grin plastered itself on her whiskered face. "Well okay then, but where will I live once I get out of here?"

Seeing the look his blond Jonin was shooting at him, Hiruzen answered the girl, "Minato-kun is your relative, it is only right that you live with him. He shall become your guardian."

An uneasy smile formed on the Namikaze's lips. "Is that alright with you Naru-chan?"

"Sure! But first I want some ramen!"

The fire in her eyes left no room for argument, yet Minato couldn't help but ask, "Ramen?" ' _She reminds me of Kushina-chan.'_ The blond seal master chuckled in amusement at the sudden comparison.

Her eyes soften from their fierce expression. "Yes, Kurama told me that I really liked it."

"He told you?" Sakumo inquired, ignorant of the blonde's amnesic state.

"Kurama has been filling in the gaps in her memory apparently." Minato explained to them.

The Hatake's steel eyes saddened. He had hoped that the fox had been wrong. "No memories at all from before then?"

Naruto shook her head in response. "Nope, but it ain't so bad. Kurama tells me that my parents loved me a whole lot!"

"Loved?" Sarutobi echoed, intrigued by the little girl.

A small, wistful smile tugged at her small lips, as Naruto lost herself in a distance timeline full of unforgettable memories. "Yeah, he said that they died trying to protect me, but I shouldn't be sad. I have family here too!"

Blue eyes watched as the young blonde smiled sadly, his hands clenched into fists at his side. "Yes, you certainly do."

Minato forced himself to cast away those pessimistic thoughts and focused on cheering up his little sister. "I'll go get you some ramen right now Naru-chan, how about it? I'll also go get you a change of clothes so you don't have to wear that hospital gown anymore."

The young Jonin was on the brink of tears, his composure about to break.

Noticing this, Sakumo stepped in with a smile as he said, "Maa, Namikaze-san. Why I don't I go get it? That way Naru-chan here isn't left alone for long. Take your time getting the clothes."

"Oh alright then, thank you. I appreciate it." Minato stiffened slightly at the underlying request, a weary sigh escaping him. ' _So he noticed.'_

"It's no problem." The Hatake either decided to ignore this or simply didn't notice it as he continued to say, "So Naru-chan, what type of ramen would you like?"

The girl in question was confused at the sudden change in mood, but gave a friendly smile before replying, "Miso ramen with extra pork, please!"

"Alright, I'll be back soon!"

Following after the departing Hatake, Hiruzen bid farewell to the two blond's before heading to his office. Taiga followed after him, but stopped momentarily at the doorway.

"If either of you ever need anything, feel free to ask."

Minato and Naruto were a little surprised to see an Uchiha smile, but they nodded nonetheless. Grateful smiles on their lips. He left with a wave leaving the two alone.

Just as the Elder Namikaze was about to go get the clothing, Naruto stopped him as an idea occurred to her. "Hey, Minato-nii, do you have anything I could draw on? I'm bored."

Minato blinked in surprised before replying with a bright smile, "Sure." The blond took out a blank scroll from within his Jonin vest and handed it to the girl alongside a brush and jar of ink.

"I'll return soon Naru-chan. Hatake-san shouldn't be too long so you won't be alone for long okay?"

"No worries Minato-nii!" The little blonde waved farewell with a sunny grin.

A flash of yellow glowed brilliantly in the room before disappearing as fast as it had appeared.

* * *

"So will you finally tell me where we are going Dad?" A young silver haired boy asked with an exasperated tone towards the man who had kidnapped him from the park where he had been playing with the kids from his class.

"We're going to visit a new friend of mine. They're at the hospital right now recovering from a pretty harsh ordeal."

Kakashi raised a brow. "Okay, but why do I have to come with you?"

Sakumo chuckled at his cute little son. "Don't you want to spend some time with your old man or are you too grown up for such things?" Sakumo teased the masked wearing boy as he fondly ruffled his hair.

"Well I don't mind, but why did we stop and get ramen then if you're visiting a friend?" Kakashi gestured toward the box of takeout he was currently holding.

"The ramen is actually for my friend. I promised I'd go get some."

The young boy frowned in thought. He couldn't remember any friend of his dad who liked ramen very much. "I see. So... who is your friend?"

The familiar building of the medical bay was getting closer and closer as they neared.

Sakumo's smile turned mischievous at the inquiry. "Now that's a surprise, son. You'll meet them when we get there." He opened the doors to the hospital and led his son through the winding corridors.

The walk through the hospital halls was led in silence until Sakumo came to a stop in front of one of the many doors and slid it open. He motioned for the silver haired boy behind him to walk forward first before following after him, closing the door as he did so.

Sakumo didn't miss the way his son froze in place when he spotted the girl sitting upright on the white bed with a scroll on her lap, writing away. She hadn't looked up from her work, so Sakumo announced their arrival.

"Hey Naru-chan, I brought your ramen and a... special guest." The Hatake finished with a teasing smile.

Hearing him, the blonde turned her attention toward the man. When Naru spotted the boy, her eyes widen in surprise.

* * *

A million things had raced through his mind, when his father had said they were visiting a friend of his at the hospital.

Kakashi had been expecting to see an adult with bandages and injuries covering them, not a young girl who seemed perfectly fine.

Especially not one that had completely taken his breath away when his eyes had first landed on her.

Long flowing, golden blonde hair shined so brilliantly as the afternoon sun-rays fell upon them. When she glanced up at his father's words and their eyes met, Kakashi felt his heart skip a beat and speed up violently, pounding in his chest. His masked face had never felt as hot and suffocating as it did then.

She had the most beautiful shade of cerulean eyes he had ever seen. The whisker-like birthmarks that adorned her cheeks made her look exotic and cute.

She was undeniably the most stunning girl he had ever met in his life.

Then he heard her voice.

It was melodious, silvery even, and oh-so appealing to his ears.

In his musings, he had completely missed what she said to him. Not wanting to seem even more rude by not answering her, he said the first thing that came to mind.

"Uh, did you say something?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the young Hatake felt like taking a kunai to the heart.

 _'I sound like a total idiot!'_

The saying 'first impressions matter', echoed in his mind relentlessly. He failed to notice the slight twitch the girl had developed over her left eye.

Yet, before he could fall into his despair and growing embarrassment, he was first graced with her charming laugh, and never before had he wished he had something to hide behind. He could even hear the snickers his own father was trying to hide behind his hand. The traitor.

He didn't get a chance to finish his current thoughts because at that moment, his vision was blocked out by the cute face of the blonde girl who sported a blinding smile.

Kakashi also then noticed the close proximity between their faces, and he immediately back away with an even brighter and hotter blush on his masked face.

Giggling at the boy's antics, Naruto stated with a bright grin, "I can tell we're going to be best friends. So what's your name kid?"

Trying to regain a semblance of his usual cool composure, the silver haired boy replied with a forced scowl, "Hatake Kakashi. And I'm not a kid."

The blonde snorted in amusement. "Sure you're not. You're just short."

"I am not short. I'm tall for my age." Kakashi retorted defensively.

"Oh, so how old are you?" Her blues eyes danced with mischief and something else the young Hatake couldn't place.

"Five, but I'm already in the academy."

He didn't know why he had to make sure she knew that, but a part of him rebelled at the thought of being looked down at because of his age.

What was wrong with him? He'd never cared about such things before. ' _This girl is making me feel all weird...'_ He felt so childish and knew that his replies reflected that, but something was messing with his equilibrium.

Naruto giggled softly. "I'm five too! We're the same age!"

A surge of annoyance rose at the haughty smirk the blonde was sending him.

Choking back the laugh that had risen at the children's interaction, Sakumo stepped up toward his son and patted his shoulder. "Ah son, why don't you continue talking with Naru-chan after you give her the food we brought her. It won't taste very good once it gets cold."

Kakashi nodded in understanding reluctantly. "Right. Here." He extended the boxed bowl toward the blonde.

Naruto's cerulean orbs sparkled as she gazed upon the box and she hesitantly reached forward, almost as if afraid to touch it. "Is this..."

Seeing how reluctant she was to accept it, Kakashi responded, "If you don't want it, we can bring you something else." He shuffled uncomfortably as he saw tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.

"No! I just... Sorry." Naruto sniffed and rubbed at her eyes.

She had fought to the bitter end to keep the waterworks at bay, but seeing the dear teacher turned into an adorable little boy and smelling the painfully familiar scent of her favorite ramen had proven to be too much for her.

Kakashi stiffened in alarm seeing the crying girl. "What's the matter? It's just ramen." The young boy frowned, eyeing the box in his hands with suspicion.

Seeming to understand what was going on with the little blonde, Sakumo gripped his son's shoulder lightly, catching his attention. "How about Kakashi and I go get you something to drink with your ramen? We'll be back in a little bit Naru-chan, okay?" His kind dark orbs crinkling softly at the corners.

The young Jinchuuriki nodded pathetically, not daring to say a word, grateful for the moment of privacy the older man was providing.

Once the door closed behind the somber shinobi and his baffled son, Naru retreated into her seal.

 _"Kurama!"_

The desolate cry of despair tore at the Bijuu's heartstrings.

 **"It's alright. You'll be okay. You've suffered tougher things. This will be just another challenge to overcome."**

Yet, his rare encouraging words went unheard as the echoing cries of a young girl, older than she seemed, lost in a time not her own with people she loved dearly. Yet, she truly did not know who they were in this time, regardless of knowing who they were to become in the future.

Life was full of ironies wasn't it?

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hope you guys liked it!**

 **Until next time dear readers!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chronology**

 _"Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go, but rather learning to start over."_

― Nicole Sobon

* * *

The walk to the cafeteria portion of the hospital was led in a somber silence. Until ultimately the younger of the two Hatake could no longer keep his curiosity at bay.

"So what's the matter with her? Why did she suddenly start to cry?" His grey eyes flickered momentarily towards his father before looking forward again, never faltering in his steps.

Sighing heavily, Sakumo wondered at the question. "Well, I can't say for sure, but I think it was the ramen."

"The ramen made her cry? Why did you bring her some then?" A scowl of bafflement formed on Kakashi's brow.

A rueful smile tugged at Sakumo's lips. "No, not quite. I don't know if you knew this yet, but certain scents can trigger memories. In Naru-chan's case it must have made her realize her loss."

"Loss?"

Sakumo nodded with solemn air about him. "Yes son, Naru-chan lost her memories. She has what's referred to as amnesia."

Wide ebony orbs bore into the older man. "So if she can't remember, why did the smell of the ramen make her cry?"

"I can only guess that she must have felt a sense of knowing, but she couldn't recall from where or when." Sakumo frowned slightly at the reminder.

Kakashi frowned at the answer. "I see... So how do you know her?"

"I actually brought her here from my last mission."

That had the boy's eyes widen in surprise. "Mission? What about her parents?"

Sakumo grimaced before turning his sad gaze toward his son. "She's an orphan Kakashi. She has no parents. It was a stroke of chance that she has relative here."

"What happened to them? Do you know?"

The silver haired man shook his head. "We're not sure, but we do know they are no longer alive."

A nagging suspicion was weighing on his young mind as Kakashi asked, "But if you found her on your mission, and you went outside Konoha's borders. You don't mean that..."

The woeful look his father shot at him made his stomach churn. "She was held captive by enemy shinobi."

"What?! But she seemed okay! I didn't see any bruises or bandages on her!" Kakashi frantically objected, not wishing to believe that the pretty girl had been in enemy hands.

"She may not have physical injuries, but the most dangerous wounds are the ones of the heart," Sakumo told him solemnly.

Kakashi scowled, confused with what his father was telling him.

"I thought it was her mind that she had injured."

The elder Hatake sighed heavily. "I'm not referring to the amnesia Kakashi. I mean the grief she'll suffer from losing her memories."

"But if she doesn't remember than how can she feel anything about people she doesn't know?"

Sakumo halted in his steps and knelt down to put his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Kakashi, do you know why Konoha is the strongest of the hidden villages?"

The young Hatake crinkled his brows in confusion at his father's sudden question. "Of course. It's because of the powerful shinobi and kunoichi like you, the Hokage, and the Sannin that we have."

Sakumo smiled in amusement, but shook his head. "No, that's not it."

"It's not?"

"Nope. It's because of our Will of Fire."

Kakashi's eyes widened at the statement. "Will of Fire?"

The silver haired Jonin frowned at the question. "Has the academy not talked about it?"

"Not that I remember, but I've only been attending for a couple of months."

Sakumo sighed before explaining. "Well, this is what gives Konohagakure shinobi the strength to continue fighting against all odds, building willpower and strength of character. It is symbolic of the hopes and dreams of the previous generation being passed to the next. Understand?"

At the sight of his son's deadpanned look, the man chuckled sheepishly.

"Oh sorry, I got a little carried away..." He apologized then continued to say, "What I mean, son, is that the entire village is like a large family, and every Konoha shinobi with the Will of Fire loves, believes, and fights to protect the village, just as our forefathers did before us."

Kakashi nodded slowly, getting an idea as to what his father was speaking of. "I understand. So it's not fighting to become strong for ourselves, but fighting to protect others correct?"

Sakumo beamed at the answer. "Exactly! That's the Will of Fire! Fighting to protect your comrades and village."

"But I'm a little confused."

"About what, son?"

Kakashi rose a questioningly brow. "What does that have to do with Naru-chan?"

"Naru-chan, huh?" Sakumo teased, before saying more seriously, "She has to find the will to continue, son. She will be a very remarkable girl when she grows older. Yet, without those bonds, those memories, she may not find the strength to live her life."

Sakumo sighed deeply, his thoughts going to distant days long passed.

"I've seen many men over the years, good shinobi whom forget everything important, even their own name, because of an unfortunate injury. Amnesia is a very difficult thing to overcome."

His eyes had taken on a thousand yard stare, the kind that veteran shinobi attain after seeing one too many battles. A look that Kakashi often saw in his father.

"As humans we need those things to find ourselves and our purpose in life. That is why the Will of Fire is so important, Kakashi. I can only hope that Naru-chan learns this as well. She's young, and has time to form new memories and bonds," Sakumo finished saying.

"I sorta get it, but there is something that bugs me."

Intrigued at his son's words, the Jonin asked, "what is it?"

"Well the shinobi codes states that a shinobi must always put the mission first. If on a mission, you must choose between finishing the mission or saving a team-mate which one would you do?"

Sakumo smiled bitterly at the question. Only his son would be able to bluntly ask the very question he had asked himself. "If it was up to me, I would save my team-mate. A life of comrade is much more valuable than a success of a mission."

Kakashi was astonished at his father's answer. "Even if the village depended on the mission to succeed?"

The elder Hatake nodded soberly, "Yes, even then. You'll find, when you become a true shinobi Kakashi, that the life of a ninja is a cruel and dark path. Your comrades, teammates, are what is most important when you leave the safety of our village walls. Death will be a fact of life and it is worth trying to save the people who have bled and cried at your side."

Kakashi peered up in awe at his father. "So that's your secret huh?"

"My secret?"

The silver haired boy nodded with an eye smile. "I always wondered what made you such an awesome shinobi. Now I know it's because you fight for others."

Sakumo smiled warmly at him, before bringing him into an embrace. "Not just others Kakashi, I fight for the ones I love. That's you buddy."

* * *

It took her several minutes to get herself composed again after the two Hatake's left the room. The bowl of her favorite dish laid innocently on her lap as she ate slowly, savoring the noodles she hadn't had for such an agonizingly long time. The last time she could recall having Ichiraku ramen would be before the village had been destroyed by Nagato.

She could feel the warmth of the broth slide down her throat, into her chest. The sense of nostalgia still hadn't left her thoughts. Putting down the now emptied bowl on the bedside table next to the hospital bed, Naru directed her gaze out towards the window.

Birds of various sizes and colors chirped outside the glass panel, their songs a sound so pleasant you could lose yourself within it.

 _'They sure have been gone a while. I hope Kakashi's dad didn't go get Minato. That'll just make him go into mother hen mode._ ' Naru mused with a sigh. Her blue eyes examined her new childish bronzed hands, clenching them and unclenching them into fists.

Her cerulean orbs glazed over in remembrance.

 _ **"Hey Naru-chan, I brought your ramen and a... special guest."**_ _A familiar masculine voice called out._

 _She dropped the brush and scroll in her hand. Looking up, she saw Sakumo Hatake's towering form smiling widely at her. The figure next to him made her heart freeze and clench painfully in her chest._

 _It was him._

 _Except it wasn't the man she knew._

 _'Kakashi-sensei...'_

 _She knew she was gawking so she quickly responded,_ _ **"Hey, Sakumo-san! Who's the kid next to you?"**_

 _ **"This is my son, Naru-chan. I hope the two of you can become good friends."**_ _The man said, his eyes curving upward. An action so similar to her old sensei. The sight made her breath hitch slightly._

 _Pushing those thoughts far away, the young Jinchuuriki turned her attention to the silent boy._

 _'He's so small. Who knew Kakashi-sensei still wore that mask as a little child?' Naru internally sweat-dropped at the silver haired boy's appearance._

 _ **"So kid, what's your name?"**_

 _His response almost had her in bitter-sweet tears._

 _ **"Uh, did you say something?"**_

 _Once the shock of hearing the familiar old phrase her Jonin-sensei was so accustomed to saying passed, Naru realized something._

 _'The little twerp wasn't paying attention to me!' An irritated twitch developed over her eye at the conclusion._

Then the memories of her sweet, but awkward teacher came rushing back.

Of days long ago, in a time where everything was simpler and easier.

The mornings where she would wake up and catch him sneaking in fresh groceries for her to eat, or whenever he would randomly stop by to see how she was doing.

As she recalled those days, she also remembered how he acted when she returned from her training trip with Jiraiya three years later, after Sasuke's defection.

The way he would awkwardly shift on his feet as if itching, restless, to get away whenever they were left alone. How he would get so overprotective whenever a male would get a little too friendly. Of how he fought fiercely to keep her safe from the hands of the Akatsuki.

It was all those things that made her tear up again.

 _'I'll never get to meet that Kakashi-sensei again...'_

The lazy bastard who was chronically late, and who made up the most ridiculous excuses for his tardiness.

The perverted one who would spend his days reading an erotic book, uncaring of the opinions of those around him.

The shinobi who would one day become so strong and feared he earned the title Rokudaime Hokage in times of war and desperation.

The man she grew to love so dearly.

She knew she would never get to know that Kakashi again. The events that shaped the man he was to become weren't going to occur this time around. She would make sure of it.

Even if they never got as close as they did back then... even if he never came to like her at all. Naru knew she would never let the man who became so much more than a teacher to her fall into the sorrow and despair his future self had.

He didn't deserve it.

He never did.

As she vowed silently to herself, she didn't notice the slight shift in the air, or the bright light announcing the return of her brother.

Seeing how deep in thought she was, Minato stood patiently for her to acknowledge him. As he waited, he couldn't help but marvel at how her cerulean orbs suddenly sharpen with determination.

 _'She's a fighter_ ,' he blond mused with a fond smile, remembering the same look his own girlfriend sported on occasion. That errant thought reminded him of another thing. ' _I need to go visit Kushina-chan before heading home tonight. The doctors said she should be waking up soon.'_

Finally getting tired of just standing, the Jonin cleared his throat. That captured the little blonde's attention immediately.

"Minato-nii! When did you get here?" Her blue eyes wide in surprise.

The blond Jonin chuckled, bemused by her reaction. "Just a moment ago, Naru-chan. I see Hatake-san brought you your ramen." He gestured toward the empty bowl on her bedside table.

"Yeah, it was delicious!"

Minato's cerulean orbs glanced around the room in search of the silver haired Hatake. "Did he leave already?"

"No, he went with his kid to go get me something to drink. They'll be back soon."

Just as Naru had finished that statement, the hospital door opened to reveal the very one they had been talking about.

"Naru-chan I brought you some green tea is that alright?" Sakumo strolled calmly toward her and handed her the cup in his hands, internally relieved to see she was feeling much better.

"It's fine. Thank you!"

Sakumo's eyes curved up in a warm smile, "You're welcome," he then turned his attention toward the blond teen standing on the other side of the room next to the window, "Maa, I see you have returned, Namikaze-san."

Minato nodded and smiled politely in greeting, "Yes, thank you for getting the food for Naru-chan."

The Hatake waved his hands lackadaisically. "It was no problem. I took the opportunity to go and get my son. I thought it would be a good idea for Naru-chan to get to know someone closer to her age than just a bunch of old guys."

It was then that Minato noticed the young boy standing next to the Jonin.

"So this must be him then?" He smiled pleasantly in greeting, approaching the pair.

Sakumo's large hand clasped the boy's shoulder as he said, "Yup, this is Kakashi."

He waved his hands toward the blond Jonin, his attention on the five year old, "Son, this is Namikaze Minato. He's Naru-chan's..." Sakumo paused and sent Minato a sheepish look, "I'm afraid, I don't know the relation between the two of you."

Minato smiled reassuringly, "It's no problem. Turns out, we're half-siblings. She's my little sister."

Hearing that, Kakashi inclined his head respectfully at the older man. "It's nice to meet you." He refused to admit that a part of him was relieved to know that the girl wasn't so alone as he had first assumed.

"Likewise, Kakashi-kun."

Having finished off her beverage, Naru chimed in on the conversation, "Kakashi-kun is my new best friend, Minato-nii!"

 _'Bestfriend?'_ The collective thought left the males baffled, one in particular worried.

A drop of sweat was forming on Minato's brow at the declaration. "Ah... Naru-chan didn't you just meet him? I don't think you can just make anyone your best friend." His cerulean orbs flickered in suspicion toward the silver haired boy. He just got his sister, there was no way some boy was taking her from him already!

"Why not?" A cute pout on her lips, daring him to challenge her decision.

Minato scratched the back of his head, quickly trying to find a suitable response. "Well... Best friends are super important. You have to choose carefully."

Naru nodded in understanding. "Okay..."

Kakashi, for his part, couldn't help the slight deflation he felt at her quick agreement. So much for best friends...

However, Naruto continued to say, "But Kakashi will be my best friend, I'll choose more carefully next time!"

"Why?" This time it was the young Hatake who voiced his objection and slight disbelief. He never had met someone so determined to be his best friend. A rival he could understand, but best friend? _'She's different...'_

Those same cerulean orbs he had admired before pierced into him as if seeing into his very soul. Those eyes captivated him.

"Because one day, you and me are going to take on the world! I'm going to become a super awesome kunoichi and you will be so strong that one day you will wear the white hat the old guy was wearing!"

Minato and Sakumo breath's hitched in sudden understanding of her statement. They had forgotten that Naruto had seen into the future alongside the Kyuubi.

They both turned with wide eyes to look at the masked boy who was as frozen in shock as they were, though for very different reasons.

 _'He's going to become Hokage?!'_ The pair unknowingly screamed together in the disbelief internally.

Oblivious to the older men's inner struggle, Kakashi was baffled at the confidant tone the blonde girl spoke in.

He crossed his arms over his chest and asked, "What old guy with a white hat?"

Naruto put a finger to her chin pretending to think over the question. "I think Minato-nii called him, Hokage. But that's a weird name, so it must be a title or something."

Then it was Kakashi's turn for his eyes to widen in astonishment.

"You think I'll become strong enough to be the Hokage?" He experienced the strangest feeling in his chest emerge at her words.

"No, I don't think it."

His silver brows quickly dropped into a scowl of confusion at her response.

Just as he was about to question her again, Naru stated with a large grin, "I know you'll become as strong as the Hokage, probably even stronger than him!"

That had been enough for Sakumo and Minato to know they had been correct in their assumption. They both promptly fainted from the shock. It was just too much to take in.

Hearing the heavy thumps of bodies hitting the floor, the young blonde peered curiously over the side of her bed to see the two prone and dazed figures of the Jonin shinobi.

"What happened to those two?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.

Yet, the silver haired boy didn't hear anything after her last sentence. His thoughts and memories plagued him like a roaring storm.

He knew he had to always work to get out of his father's impressive shadow. He loved his father dearly, but he resented, that many when they saw him for the first time, they already had a preconceived idea about him.

All those people always compared him to his father, expecting him to be just as impressive or to fall short of his father's greatness.

Yet, sitting before him was someone who didn't see that.

No, she saw the potential in him to surpass his father.

She saw him take the position of the strongest shinobi in the village.

 _'Hokage.'_

It had never once crossed his mind to try and aim for that position. He just wanted to make his father proud of him.

As his amazingly perceptive mind worked overtime, he came to the conclusion that if he ever wanted to step out of his father's shadow and make a name for himself, becoming Hokage would do just that.

"Alright, I accept..." The words left his lips almost breathlessly, as if a weight had been taken from his shoulders.

Naruto, who had been busying herself poking at the two unconscious men in an attempt to awaken them, turned her head sharply toward the boy who had been in silent thought for the past couple of minutes. Her face scrunched up in confusion at his sudden words.

"Accept what?"

Kakashi then did something he rarely did with anyone other than his father. His eyes curved up in a familiar motion of smiling. An unconscious habit he had picked up from his dad.

"To be your best friend, of course."

Naruto felt the air leave her lungs, his words causing a lump to form at the base of her throat, robbing her of her ability to speak.

The golden haired girl blinked in a stunned awe. Casting away the sudden image of an older silver haired man, who had at his words and movements, merged with her vision of the young boy.

 _'Kakashi-sensei...'_

Tears streamed down her face, as Naruto found herself unable to contain the rampant, torrent emotions that welled up.

"Wha-Naru are you okay? Please stop crying!" Kakashi's alarmed words, broke through the emotional storm.

She rubbed the stubborn tears away, a smile blooming on her face as she did so. She got up off the white sterile bed and approached the boy.

Before the young Hatake could comprehend what was happening she had enveloped him in her small arms. He didn't realize that he had let his guard down so damn much until her forehead had pressed against his, her arms wrapping themselves around his shoulders in an embrace ten times stronger than even his own father's.

The boy's body unconsciously stiffened in her hold, unaccustomed to being held in such a way by anyone other than his father. He locked eyes with her cerulean blue orbs and she smiled warmly at him.

His chest felt light and he couldn't understand a single thing of what was going on. It was getting so hot all of a sudden.

Seeing the confused look in Kakashi's grey eyes had, Naru's smile widen as she said, "I'm glad and my name's Naruto."

At those words Kakashi felt at once as if there was a snare in the center of his chest that bound the two of them together. Because at that moment with her arms around him, that bright tender smile on her face, and the way she was so deliciously warm.

He never wanted to let go of Naru or Naruto as she was so inclined to tell him.

He'd heard about it before, but seriously hoped that he wasn't falling in love with this golden haired girl because despite the fact that she was so pretty, he knew as she grew older she would only grow more beautiful. Her beauty would more than likely end up pulling him into some very troublesome situations.

Even now, as a five year old, he knew he would be doomed for eternity if he fell in love with the little blonde. He would only be able to love her, and only her, for the rest of his life.

When pained groans filled the room, Kakashi didn't know whether to curse or cheer at the distraction. Yet, when Naru's arms left him in favor of helping the grown men, he did silently curse in protest at the loss of the warmth.

As he watched her help her brother sit up, Kakashi realized that despite the shared age, she was shorter. A quiet snort escaped him as a thought occurred to him. ' _I'm always going to be taller than her aren't I?'_

He had unknowingly begun to laugh aloud, drawing the attention of the three other people in the room.

"What's so funny Kakashi?" Sakumo asked with a raised brow.

Realizing he was caught, Kakashi's mirthful dark eyes curled up in a smile as he said, "It's nothing, but Naruto's really short."

Said blonde's face instantly turned into a bright red color. "Hey! I'm not short! We're the same height!" Naruto fumed in irritation.

Kakashi couldn't help but smirk at the riled up girl. "No, we're not." To prove his point, he stood tall next to her and to her dismay, he was taller than her by an inch or two, but still taller.

"Sh-Shut up! Don't call me short! Old man!"

The boy's amusement was quickly taken over by irritation. "I'm not an old man! Fishcake!"

"Who are you calling a fishcake!? You gray haired old man!"

Minato and Sakumo just sat on the floor, watching in amused bafflement as the pair bantered. They looked like an old married couple. Especially when Naruto started to try and strangle the boy when he wouldn't quit antagonizing her. Calling her a fishcake was definitely not a wise move.

It was this very scene that one very bewildered doctor stepped into.

Said doctor received a sheepish smile from a pair of Jonin spectators.

"Ah, Doctor Hotako, how are you today?" Minato greeted the man ignoring the cries for help from the silver haired boy.

The brown haired, glasses wearing doctor chuckled, bemused by the whole situation. "Very well, Namikaze-san. I just came to let you know that the test results all came back positive and the young girl is able to leave now. You may take her home when you deem yourselves ready."

Minato beamed at the news. He had a surprise prepared for his little sister and couldn't wait to show her. "Oh, that's very good news. Hear that Naru-chan, we can go home!"

"Yay! About time!" The blonde Jinchuuriki cheered as she held a blue faced Hatake in a grapple hold.

* * *

Elsewhere in the village, a worn man sipped tiredly from a bottle of sake; trying to drown his worries and feelings in the liquid bitterness that was alcohol. The past few days had been some of the toughest of his life and that was saying something considering he had lived through two wars and was now going on to a third.

As he gazed into the cup in his hand, the battered figured staring back at him in the liquid's reflection drew a long drawn out sigh from him. His thoughts went out to the two people he believed he could have trusted with his life. Now that turned out to be one of his biggest mistakes so far.

Only hours ago the two very figures he had in mind had been in his office, demanding things of him and revealing to him who exactly they were beneath their well constructed facades.

Danzo

A beloved and trusted comrade.

Orochimaru

A student he loved and cherished as if he were his own son.

Those two were root of his growing despair and worry.

If Danzo were to find out the truth about Kushina and Naruto, Hiruzen feared what would happen.

Would Danzo take the girl from Minato?

Turn the council against the two of them until they handed her over?

The man always had a penchant for getting what he wanted and all in the name of the village. So would he take that cute little blonde child and turn her into a cruel hearted weapon of mass destruction for the sake of a village she had but one tie to?

Sarutobi did not want to think on that for too long. For now he had made arrangements to ensure the protection of both the redhead Uzumaki and blonde Namikaze child. He just hoped it would be enough.

Then the Sandaime Hokage's wonderings turned toward his prodigious student who had displayed an abnormal interest in the young Jinchuuriki. The sudden fixation on the girl unnerved the middle aged man.

Orochimaru even went as far as to ask about her placement in the academy. His inquiries brought another issue to mind.

 _'He's going to be a Jonin-sensei this time around, but if I'm to believe Kurama's warnings it would be best to not allow him to have a team just yet. With this war on the horizon, I'm going to need all of my students out on the field.'_

Hiruzen's fatigued gaze turned toward the stone faces which had become a sort of crutch in his time in office, especially during turbulent situations such as these.

 _'It's time to retrieve your errant granddaughter and grandniece, Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sensei.'_

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Sorry for taking so long to update! Thank you so much for reviewing and following! It means a lot!**

 **I needed to rewrite this because my timeline was so messed up I was confused on how to proceed with it, but now I should have an update up soon!**

 **Until next time dear readers!**


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